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PRINCETON    .    NEW  JERSEY 

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PRESENTED  BY 

The  Widow  of  George  Dugan,  '96 


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THE  I      ^'^•'^151923 


TRAINING  OF  THE  TWELVE-, 


OR, 


PASSAGES  OUT  OF  THE  GOSPELS 


EXHIBITING  THE  TWELVE  DISCIPLES  OF  JESUS  UNDER 
DISCIPLINE  FOR  THE  APOSTLESHIP. 


BY 

ALEXANDER  BALMAIN  BRUCE,  D.D., 

PROFESSOR   OF   APOLOGETICS   AND   NEW   TESTAMENT    EXEGESIS, 
FREE   CHURCH    COLLEGE,   GLASGOW. 

Ai(thor  of '■^  The  Humiliation  of  Christ, ^^  '■^Tlic  Parabolic  Teaching  of  Christ^ 
"  The  Miraculous  Element  in  the  Gospels,^'  etc. 


FOURTH  EDITION,  REVISED   AND   IMPROVED. 


Neb)  iork 

A.    C.    ARMSTRONG    AND    SON 

51  East  lO'""  Street,  Near  Broadway 
1897 


aw  Tui    Iryo"oD  ijaav. 


Presswork  by 
John  Wilson  and  Sun,  Oamiskidgb. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


On  receiving  notice  from  the  publisher  that  a  second 
edition  of  The  Training  of  the  Tivelve  which  first  appeared 
in  1 87 1,  was  called  for,  I  was  obliged  to  consider  the  ques- 
tion what  alterations  should  be  made  on  a  work  which, 
though  written  with  care,  was  too  obviously,  to  my  maturer 
judgment,  stamped  with  imperfection.  Two  alternatives 
suggested  themselves  to  my  mind.  One  was  to  recast  the 
whole,  so  as  to  give  it  a  more  critical  and  scientific  charac- 
ter, and  make  it  bear  more  directly  on  current  controversies 
respecting  the  origin  of  Christianity.  The  other  was  to 
allow  the  book  to  remain  substantially  as  it  was,  retaining  its 
popular  form,  and  limiting  alterations  to  details  susceptible 
of  improvement  without  change  of  plan.  After  a  little 
hesitation,  I  decided  for  the  latter  course,  for  the  following 
reasons.  From  expressions  of  opinion  that  reached  me  from 
many  and  very  diverse  quarters,  I  had  come  to  be  convinced 
that  the  book  was  appreciated  and  found  useful,  and  I  thence 
concluded  that,  notwithstanding  its  faults,  it  might  continue 
to  be  of  service  in  its  primitive  shape.  Then,  considering 
how  difficult  in  all  things  it  is  to  serve  two  masters  or  accom- 
plish at  once  two  ends,  I  saw  that  the  adoption  of  the  former 
of  the  two  alternative  courses  was  tantamount  to  writing  a 
new  book,  which  could  be  done,  if  necessary,  independently  of 
the  present  publication.  I  confess  to  having  a  vague  plan 
of  such  a  work  in  my  head,  which  may  or  may  not  be  carried 
into  effect.     The   Tubingen   school   of   critics,   with  whose 


iv  Preface. 

works  English  readers  are  now  becoming  acquainted  through 
translations,  maintain  that  catholic  Christianity  was  the 
result  of  a  compromise  or  reconciliation  between  two  radi- 
cally opposed  tendencies,  represented  respectively  .by  the 
original  apostles  and  by  Paul,  the  two  tendencies  being 
Judaistic  exclusiveness  on  the  one  hand,  and  Pauline  univer- 
salism  on  the  other.  The  twelve  said :  Christianity  for 
Jews,  and  all  who  are  willing  to  become  Jews  by  compliance 
with  Jewish  custom  ;  Paul  said  :  Christianity  for  the  whole 
world,  and  for  all  on  the  same  terms.  Now  the  material 
dealt  with  in  Tlie  Training  of  the  Tivelve,  must,  from  the 
nature  of  the  case,  have  some  bearing  on  this  conflict- 
hypothesis  of  Dr.  Baur  and  his  friends.  The  question  arises, 
What  was  to  be  expected  of  tJie  inen  that  were  with  yesits  ? 
and  the  consideration  of  this  question  would  form  an  impor- 
tant division  of  such  a  controversial  work  as  I  have  in  view. 
Another  chapter  might  consider  the  part  assigned  to  Peter 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (alleged  by  the  same  school  of 
critics  to  be  a  part  invented  for  him  by  the  writer  for  an 
apologetic  purpose),  seeking  especially  to  determine  whether 
It  was  a  likely  part  for  him  to  play  —  likely  in  view  of  his 
idiosyncrasies,  or  the  training  he  had  received.  Another 
appropriate  topic  would  be  the  character  of  the  Apostle  John, 
as  portrayed  m  the  synoptical  Gospels,  in  its  bearing  on 
the  questions  of  the  authorship  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  and  the 
hostility  to  Paul  and  his  universalism  alleged  to  be  mani- 
fested in  the  Book  of  Revelation.  In  such  a  work  there 
would  further  fall  to  be  considered  the  materials  bearing  on 
the  same  theme  in  other  parts  of  the  New  Testament,  espe- 
cially those  to  be  found  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians. 
Finally,  there  might  not  inappropriately  be  found  a  place  in 
such  a  work  for  a  discussion  of  the  question,  How  far  do  the 
synoptical  Gospels  —  the  principal  sources  of  information 
regarding  the  teaching  and  public  actions  of  Christ  —  bear 
traces  of  the  influence  of  controversial  or  conciliatory  ten- 
dencies .-'  e.g.  what  ground  is  there  for  the  assertion  that  the 
mission  of  the   seventy  is   an   invention   in  the  interest  of 


Preface,  v 

Pauline  universalism  intended  to  throw  the  original  apostles 
into  the  shade  ? 

In  the  present  work  I  have  not  attempted  to  develop  the 
argument  here  outlined,  but  have  merely  indicated  the  places 
at  which  the  different  points  of  the  argument  might  come  in, 
and  the  way  in  which  they  might  be  used.  The  conflict- 
hypothesis  was  not  absent  from  my  mind  in  writing  the 
book  at  first ;  but  I  was  neither  so  well  acquainted  with 
the  literature  relating  thereto,  nor  so  sensible  of  its  impor- 
tance, as  I  am  now. 

In  preparing  this  new  edition  for  the  press,  I  have  not  lost 
sight  of  any  hints  from  friendly  critics  which  might  tend  to 
make  it  more  acceptable  and  useful.  In  particular,  I  have 
kept  steadily  in  view  retrenchment  of  the  homiletic  element, 
though  I  am  sensible  that  I  may  still  have  retained  too  much 
for  some  tastes,  but  I  hope  not  too  much  for  the  generality 
of  readers.  I  have  had  to  remember,  that  while  some  friends 
called  for  condensation,  others  have  complained  that  the 
matter  was  too  closely  packed.  I  have  also  had  occasion  to 
observe  in  my  reading  of  books  on  the  Gospel  history  that  it 
is  possible  to  be  so  brief  and  sketchy  as  to  miss  not  only  the 
latent  connections  of  thought,  but  even  the  thoughts  them- 
selves. The  changes  have  not  all  been  in  the  direction  of 
retrenchment.  While  not  a  few  paragraphs  have  been  can- 
celled or  reduced  in  bulk,  other  new  ones  have  been  added, 
and  in  one  or  two  instances  whole  pages  have  been  rewritten. 
Among  the  more  important  additions  may  be  mentioned  a 
note  at  the  end  of  the  chapter  relating  to  the  farewell  dis- 
course, giving  an  analysis  of  the  discourse  into  its  compo- 
nent parts ;  and  a  concluding  paragraph  at  the  end  of  the 
work  summing  up  the  instructions  which  the  twelve  had 
received  from  Jesus  during  the  time  they  had  been  with 
Him.  Besides  these,  a  feature  of  this  edition  is  a  series  of 
footnotes  referring  to  some  of  the  principal  recent  publica- 
tions, British  and  foreign,  whose  contents  relate  more  or  less 
to  the  Gospel  history,  such  as  the  works  of  Keim,  Pfleiderer, 
Colani,   Farrar,    Sanday,    and   Supernatural   Religion.     The 


vi  Preface, 

notes  referring  to  Mr.  Sanday's  work  bear  on  the  important 
question,  how  far  we  have  in  John's  Gospel  a  reliable  record 
of  the  words  spoken  by  Jesus  to  His  disciples  on  the  eve  of 
His  passion. 

Besides  the  index  of  passages  discussed  which  appeared  in 
the  first  edition,  this  edition  contains  a  carefully-prepared 
table  of  contents  at  the  end,  which  it  is  hoped  will  add  to 
the  utility  of  the  work.  To  make  the  bearing  of  the  contents 
on  the  training  of  the  disciples  more  apparent,  I  have  in 
several  instances  changed  the  titles  of  chapters,  or  supplied 
alternative  titles. 

With  these  explanations,  I  send  forth  this  new  edition,  with 
grateful  feelings  for  the  kind  reception  which  the  work  has 
already  received,  and  in  the  hope  that  by  the  divine  blessing 
it  may  continue  to  be  of  use  as  an  attempt  to  illustrate  an 
interesting  and  important  theme, 

A.  B.  B. 


NOTE  TO  THE  THIRD   EDITION. 


The  work  has  been  carefully  revised  for  this  edition,  and 
a  number  of  minute  changes  made ;  but  the  text  remains 
substantially  the  same  as  in  the  second  edition.  Attention 
has  been  paid  to  the  readings  of  the  Revised  Version  in 
giving  the  text  of  Gospel  passages. 

The  Author. 


TABLE   OF    PASSAGES    FROM   THE    GOSPELS 
DISCUSSED   IN   THIS   WORK. 


Matthew. 


IV.  15-22,  . 

v.-vii.,  ,     . 
viii.  16,  17, 
ix.  9-13,    . 
ix.  14-17, . 
X.  1-4, .     . 
X.  5-42,     . 
xii.  1-14,  . 
xiii.  1-52,  . 
xiv.  13-21, 
xiv.  22-33, 
XV.  1-20,  . 
.xvi.  1-12, 
xvi.  13-20, 
xvi.  21-28, 
xvii.  1-13, 
xvii.  24-27, 
xviii.  1-14, 
xviii.  15-20, 
xviii.  21-35, 
xix.  1-26, . 
xix.  27-29, 
xix.  30, 
XX.  1-16,   . 
XX.  17-28, 
xxi.-xxv., . 
xxvi.  6-13, 
xxvi  20-25, 
xxvi.  26-29, 
xxvi.  33-35, 
xxvi.  36  41, 
xxvi.  55,  56, 
xxvi.  69-75, 
xxviii.  16,  17, 
xxviii.  18-20, 


Mark. 


[6-20,     . 

15-17,  . 

16-22,   . 

23-28,  . 

1-6,      . 

13-19, 

20,  21, 

1-34,    . 

vi. 

7-13,    . 

vi. 

30-32,  . 

vi. 

33-44,  . 

vi. 

45-52,  . 

Til 

•  1-23,  . 

41 

41 

'9 
69 
29 

99 
88 

41 
120 
128 

79 
155 
163 

173 
190 
222 
199 
207 
216 
250 
262 
272 
272 
281 
326 
297 
368 
356 
390 
464 
464 
464,  48  s 
488 
532 


29 
48 
41 
99 
104 
120 
128 
79 


vm.  10-21 
viii.  27-30 
viii.  31-38 
ix.  2-29, 

ix.  53-37, 

IX.  3S-41, 
ix.  42-50 
ix.  49,  50, 

X.  1-27, 
X.  28-30, 
X.  31.    . 

X-  32-45, 
xi.-xiii., 
xiv.  3-9, 
xiv.  17-21 
xiv.  22-25 
xiv.  29-31 
XIV.  32-38 
-xiv.  50-52 
xiv.  67-72 
xvi.  11-13 
xvi.  14, 
xvi.  1;, 


Luke. 


1. 

V. 

1-4,  .     . 
i-ii,     . 

V. 

27- 

32,  . 

V. 

33- 

39,   . 

vi. 

I- 

I,    . 

vi 

12 

-16,  . 

vi. 

17 

49,  . 

vii 

■36 

-50, 

ix 

I- 

II,    . 

ix 

12 

-17,. 

ix 

18 

"22, 

ix 

23 

-27, 

ix 

28 

-42,  . 

ix 

46-48, . 

ix 

49 

50,. 

ix 

5' 

-56,. 

x. 

17- 

20,     . 

X. 

23, 

24,    . 

XI.  37-41,  . 
xii  41-48, 
xiii.  10-16, 
xiv.  1-6,  • 
XV , .  .  . 
xviii.  1-8, 
xviii.  15-27, 


155 
163 
173 
190 
199 
230 
199 
222 
250 
262 


281 
326 
297 
36S 
356 
390 
464 
464 
464,  483 
488 
497 


41 
II 

J9 
69 
88 
29 

41 
26 

99 
120 
163 

173 

190 

199 

230 

240 

104 

41 

52 

79 

339 

88 

88 

26 

52 

250 


xviii.  2S-30, 
xviii.  31-34, 
xix.  11-28, 
xix.  29-4S, 
XX  ,  xxi.,  . 
xxii.  17-20, 
x.xii.  28,     , 
xxii.  31,  32, 
xxii.  35-3S, 
xxii.  39-46, 
xxii  54-62, 
xxiv.  11-22, 
xxiv.  36-42, 
xxiv.  25-32, 
xxiv.  44-46, 
xxiv.  47-53, 


John. 


29-51, 
'    18,' 


V.    I 

vi  ,  .  .  . 
X.  39-42,  . 
xii.  1-8,  . 
xii  20-33, 
xiii  i-ii, . 
xiii.  12-20, 
xiii.  21-30, 

xiii  31-35, 
xiii.  36-3S, 
xiv.  1-4,  . 
xiv.  5-7,  . 
xiv.  8-14,  , 
xiv.  15-21, 
xiv.  22-31, 
XV.  1-17,  . 
XV.  18-27, 
xvi  1-4, .  . 
xvi.  5-15, . 
xvi.  16-33, 
xvii.,  .  . 
xviii.  15-18, 
xix  25-27, 
XX.  20-23, 
XX.  24-29, 
xxi.  15-17, 
xxi.  19-22, 


Acts. 


1.  12-14, 


PAGE 

.  262 

.  281 

•  273 

.  3^7 

.  326 

.  356 

18,  383 

.  471 

.  466 

.  464 

.  464 

.  488 

,  488 

.  497 

•  497 

•  532 


247 
88 


251 
297 
317 

341 
35° 
368 
378 
3S9 
380 

389 
398 

385 
405 
411 

423 
428 

432 
436 
449 
464,  480 
480 

497 

,  506 

515 
524 


532 
538 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PAGE 

Beginnings i 

CHAPTER   n. 
Fishers  of  Men ,       .       .        .      ii 

CHAPTER    HI. 
Matthew  the  Publican ,        .      19 

CHAPTER   IV. 
The  Twelve 29 

CHAPTER  V. 
Hearing  and  Seeing 41 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Lessons  on  Prayer -52 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty;  or,  the  Nature  of  True  Holiness  .  69 

sec.  i.    fasting 69 

II.    ritual  ablutions 79 

III.    sabbath  observance 88 

CHAPTER   Vin. 

First  Attempts  at  Evangelism ,       .       .      gg 

sec.  I.   the  mission gg 

n.    the  instructions        .       .       .       .       .       .       -.       .109 

ix 


X  Contents. 

CHAPTER   IX. 

PAGE 

The  Galilean  Crisis 120 

sec.  i.   the  miracle 120 

ii.    the  storm 128 

in.     THE   SERMON I35 

IV.     THE   SIFTING I45 

CHAPTER   X. 

The  Leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees 155 

CHAPTER   XL 

Peter's  Confession;  or,  Current  Opinion  and  Eternal  Truth  .  163 

CHAPTER    Xn. 

First  Lesson  on  the  Cross 173 

sec.  i.    first  announcement  of  Christ's  death        .       .       .  173 

II.  cross-bearing  the  law  of  discipleship         .       .       .  182 

CHAPTER   XHL 

The  Transfiguration 190 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Training  in  Temper;  or,  Discourse  on  Humility    ....  199 

SEC.  I.    as  this  little  child 199 

II.    church  discipline 207 

III.  forgiving  injuries 216 

IV.  the   temple   tax  :    an    illustration    of   the   sermon      .  222 

v.   the  interdicted  exorcist:  another  illustration    .  230 

CHAPTER    XV. 

The  Sons  of  Thunder 240 

CHAPTER   XVL 

In  Per^a;  or,  the  Doctrine  of  Self-Sacrifice        ....  250 

sec.    I.     COUNSELS   OF    PERFECTION 250 

II.     THE   REWARDS    OF    SELF-SACRIFICE 262 

III.  THE   FIRST   LAST,    AND   THE   LAST   FIRST  .  .  .  .272 

CHAPTER   XVH. 

The  Sons  of  Zebedee  again  ;  or,  Second  Lesson  on  the  Doctrine 

OF  THE  Cross 281 


Contents.  xi 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

PAGE 

The  Anointing  in  Bethany;  or,  Third  Lesson  on  the  Doctrine 

OF  THE  Cross 297 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
First-Fruits  of  THE  Gentiles 317 

CHAPTER  XX. 

O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem  !  or.  Discourse  on  the  Last  Things      .    326 

CHAPTER   XXL 

The  Master  Serving;   or.  Another  Lesson  in  Humility       .        .    341 
SEC.  I.    the  washing 341 

II.  the  explanation 350 

CHAPTER   XXH. 
In  Memoriam;  or.  Fourth  Lesson  on  the  Doctrine  of  the  Cross  .    356 

CHAPTER   XXIIL 
Judas  Iscariot 368 

CHAPTER   XXIV, 

The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little  Ones 378 

SEC.  I.    words  of  comfort  and  counsel  to  the  sorrowing 

children 378 

IL    the  children's  questions,  and  the  adieu   .        .        .  389 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles 411 

sec.  l    the  vine  and  its  branches 411 

II.    apostolic  tribulations  and  encouragements     .        .  423 

III.  the  little  while,  and  the  end  of  the  discourse    .  436 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

The  Intercessory  Prayer 449 

appendix  to  three  foregoing  chapters 463 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 

The  Sheep  Scattered 464 

SEC.  I.    "all  the  disciples  forsook  him,  and  fled"      .       .    464 
II.    sifted  as  wheat 471 

III.     peter  and  JOHN 480 


xii  Contents, 

CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

PAGE 

The  Shepherd  restored 488 

sec.  i.    too  good  news  to  be  true 4ss 

ii.    the  eyes  of  the  disciples  opened.        ....  497 

iii.    the  doubt  of  thomas 506 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

The  Under-Shepherds  admonished       ....,.,  515 

SEC.  I.    pastoral  duty     .        .        . 515 

II.    pastor  pastorum 524 

CHAPTER   XXX. 

Power  from  On  High 532 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Waiting 538 

Index 547 


THE  TRAINING   OF  THE  TWELVE. 


CHAPTER   I. 

BEGINNINGS. 
John  i.  29-51. 


The  section,  of  the  Gospel  history  above  indicated,  pos- 
sesses the  interest  pecuHar  to  the  beginnings  of  all  things 
that  have  grown  to  greatness.  Here  are  exhibited  to  .our 
view  the  infant  church  in  its  cradle,  the  petty  sources  of 
the  River  of  Life,  the  earliest  blossoms  of  Christian  faith, 
the  humble  origin  of  the  mighty  empire  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

All  beginnings  are  more  or  less  obscure  in  appearance, 
but  none  were  ever  more  obscure  than  those  of  Christianity, 
What  an  insignificant  event^in  the  history  of  the  church, 
not  to  say  of  the  world,  this  first  meeting  of  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth with  five  humble  men,  Andrew,  Peter,  Philip,  Nathanael, 
and  another  unnamed  !  It  actually  seems  almost  too  trivial 
to  find  a  place  even  in  the  evangelic  narrative.  For  we 
have  here  to  do  not  with  any  formal  solemn  call  to  the  great 
office  of  the  apostleship,  or  even  with  the  commencement 
of  an  uninterrupted  discipleship,  but  at  the  utmost  with  the 
beginnings  of  an  acquaintance  with  and  of  faith  in  Jesus  on 
the  part  of  certain  individuals  who  subsequently  became 
constant  attendants  on  His  person,  and  ultimately  apostles 
of  His  religion.  Accordingly  we  find  no  mention  made  in 
the  three  first  Gospels  of  the  events  here  recorded. 

Far  from  being  surprised  at  the  silence  of  the  synoptical 


2  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

evangelists,  one  is  rather  tempted  to  wonder  how  it  came 
to  pass  that  John,  the  author  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  after  the 
lapse  of  so  many  years,  thought  it  worth  while  to  relate 
incidents  so  minute,  especially  in  such  close  proximity  to 
the  sublime  sentences  with  which  his  Gospel  begins.  But 
we  are  kept  from  such  incredulous  wonder  by  the  reflection, 
that  facts  objectively  insignificant  may  be  very  important  to 
the  feelings  of  those  whom  they  personally  concern.  What 
if  John  were  himself  one  of  the  five  who  on  the  present 
occasion  became  acquainted  with  Jesus .-'  That  would  make 
a  wide  difference  between  him  and  the  other  evangelists, 
who  could  know  of  the  incidents  here  related,  if  they  knew 
of  them  at  all,  only  at  second  hand.  In  the  case  supposed,  it 
would  not  be  surprising  that  to  his  latest  hour  John  remem- 
bered with  emotion  the  first  time  he  saw  the  Incarnate 
Word,  and  deemed  the  minutest  memorials  of  that  time 
unspeakably  precious.  First  meetings  are  sacred  as  well  as 
last  ones,  especially  such  as  are  followed  by  a  momentous 
history,  and  accompanied,  as  is  apt  to  be  the  case,  with 
omens  prophetic  of  the  future.'  Such  omens  were  not 
wanting  in  connection  with  the  first  meeting  between  Jesus 
and  the  five  disciples.  Did  not  the  Baptist  then  first  give 
to  Jesus  the  name  "  Lamb  of  God,"  so  exactly  descriptive 
of  His  earthly  mission  and  destiny.?  Was  not  Nathanael's 
doubting  question,  "  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Naza- 
reth .'' "  an  ominous  indication  of  a  conflict  with  unbelief 
awaiting  the  Messiah }  And  what  a  happy  omen  of  an 
opening  era  of  wonders  to  be  wrought  by  divine  grace  and 
power  was  contained  in  the  promise  of  Jesus  to  the  pious, 
though  at  first  doubting,  Israelite  :  "  Henceforth  ye  shall  see 
heaven  open,  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descend- 
ing upon  the  Son  of  man  "  ! 

That  John,  the  writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  really  was  the 
fifth  unnamed  disciple,  may  be  regarded  as  certain.  It  is  his 
way  throughout  his  Gospel,  when  alluding  to  himself,  to  use 
a  periphrasis,  or  to  leave,  as  here,  a  blank  where  his  name 
should  be.  One  of  the  two  disciples  who  heard  the  Baptist 
call  Jesus  the  Lamb  of  God  was  the  evangelist  himself, 
Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother,  being  the  other.^ 

'  Omina  principiis  inesse  solent.  —  Ovid.  Fast.  i.  178.  *  Ver.  41. 


Beginnings.  3 

The  impressions  produced  on  our  minds  by  these  little 
anecdotes  of  the  infancy  of  the  Gospel  must  be  feeble, 
indeed,  as  compared  with  the  emotions  awakened  by  the 
memory  of  them  in  the  breast  of  the  aged  apostle  by  whom 
they  are  recorded.  It  would  not,  however,  be  creditable 
either  to  our  intelligence  or  to  our  piety  if  we  could  peruse 
this  page  of  the  evangelic  history  unmoved,  as  if  it  were 
utterly  devoid  of  interest.  We  should  address  ourselves  to 
the  study  of  the  simple  story  with  somewhat  of  the  feeling 
with  which  men  make  pilgrimages  to  sacred  places ;  for 
indeed  the  ground  is  holy. 

The  scene  of  the  occurrences  in  which  we  are  concerned 
was  in  the  region  of  Perasa,  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  at 
the  lower  part  of  its  course.  The  persons  who  make  their 
appearance  on  the  scene  were  all  natives  of  Galilee,  and 
their  presence  here  is  due  to  the  fame  of  the  remarkable  man 
whose  office  it  was  to  be  the  forerunner  of  the  Christ.  John, 
surnamed  the  Baptist,  who  had  spent  his  youth  in  the  desert 
as  a  hermit,  living  on  locusts  and  wild  honey,  and  clad  in  a 
garment  of  camel's  hair,  had  come  forth  from  his  retreat,  and 
appeared  among  men  as  a  prophet  of  God.  The  burden  of 
bis  prophecy  was,  "  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand."  In  a  short  time  many  were  attracted  from  all  quar- 
ters to  see  and  hear  him.  Of  those  who  fiocked  to  his  preach- 
ing, the  greater  number  went  as  they  came  ;  but  not  a  few 
were  deeply  impressed,  and,  confessing  their  sins,  underwent 
the  rite  of  baptism  in  the  waters  of  the  Jordan.  Of  those 
who  were  baptized,  a  select  number  formed  themselves  into 
a  circle  of  disciples  around  the  person  of  the  Baptist,  among 
whom  were  at  least  two,  and  most  probably  the  whole,  of  the 
five  men  mentioned  by  the  evangelist.  Previous  converse 
with  the  Baptist  had  awakened  in  these  disciples  a  desire  to 
see  Jesus,  and  prepared  them  for  believing  in  Him.  In  his 
communications  to  the  people  around  him  John  made  frequent 
allusions  to  One  who  should  come  after  himself.  He  spoke 
of  this  coming  One  in  language  fitted  to  awaken  great  expecta- 
tions. He  called  himself,  with  reference  to  the  coming  One, 
a  mere  voice  in  the  wilderness,  crying,  "  Prepare  ye  the  way 
of  the  Lord."  At  another  time  he  said,  "  I  baptize  with 
water ;  but  there  standeth  One  among  you  whom  ye  know 


4  The  Traiiiing  of  the  Twelve. 

not :  He  it  is  who,  coming  after  me,  is  preferred  before  me, 
whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose."  This 
great  One  was  none  other  than  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  God, 
the  King  of  Israel. 

Such  discourses  were  likely  to  result,  and  by  the  man  of 
God  who  uttered  them  they  were  intended  to  result,  in  the 
disciples  of  the  Baptist  leaving  him  and  going  over  to  Jesus. 
And  we  see  here  the  process  of  transition  actually  com- 
mencing. We  do  not  affirm  that  the  persons  here  named 
finally  quitted  the  Baptist's  company  at  this  time,  to  become 
henceforth  regular  followers  of  Jesus.  But  an  acquaintance 
now  begins  which  will  end  in  that.  The  bride  is  introduced 
to  the  Bridegroom,  and  the  marriage  will  come  in  due  season  ; 
not  to  the  chagrin  but  to  the  joy  of  the  Bridegroom's 
friend.' 

How  easily  and  artlessly  does  the  mystic  bride,  as  repre- 
sented by  these  five  disciples,  become  acquainted  with  her 
heavenly  Bridegroom !  The  account  of  their  meeting  is 
idyllic  in  its  simplicity,  and  would  only  be  spoiled  by  a  com- 
mentary. There  is  no  need  of  formal  introduction :  they  all 
introduce  each  other.  Even  John  and  Andrew  were  not 
formally  introduced  to  Jesus  by  the  Baptist  ;  they  rather 
introduced  themselves.  The  exclamation  of  the  desert 
prophet  on  seeing  Jesus,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world!"  repeated  next  day  in 
an  abbreviated  form,  was  the  involuntary  utterance  of  one 
absorbed  in  his  own  thoughts,  rather  than  the  deliberate 
speech  of  one  who  was  directing  his  disciples  to  leave  himself 
and  go  over  to  Him  of  whom  he  spake.  The  two  disciples, 
on  the  other  hand,  in  going  away  after  the  personage  whose 
presence  had  been  so  impressively  announced,  were  not  obey- 
ing an  order  given  by  their  old  master,  but  were  simply  follow- 
ing the  dictates  of  feelings  which  had  been  awakened  in 
their  breasts  by  all  they  had  heard  him  say  of  Jesus,  both  on 
the  present  and  on  former  occasions.  They  needed  no 
injunction  to  seek  the  acquaintance  of  one  in  whom  they  felt 
so  keenly  interested  :  all  they  needed  was  to  know  that  this 
was  He.  They  were  as  anxious  to  see  the  Messianic  King 
as  the  world  is  to  see  the  face  of  a  secular  prince. 

*  John  iii.  29. 


Beginnings.  5 

It  is  natural  that  we  should  scan  the  evangelic  narrative 
for  indications  of  character  with  reference  to  those  who,  in 
the  way  so  quaintly  described,  for  the  first  time  met  Jesus. 
Little  is  said  of  the  five  disciples,  but  there  is  enough  to  show 
that  they  were  all  pious  men.  What  they  found  in  their  new  / 
friend  indicates  what  they  wanted  to  find.  They  evidently 
belonged  to  the  select  band  who  waited  for  the  consolation  of 
Israel,  and  anxiously  looked  for  Him  who  should  fulfil  God's 
promises  and  realize  the  hopes  of  all  devout  souls.  Besides 
this  general  indication  of  character  supplied  in  their  common 
confession  of  faith,  a  few  facts  are  stated  respecting  these  first 
believers  in  Jesus  tending  to  make  us  a  little  better  acquainted 
with  them.  Two  of  them  certainly,  all  of  them  probably, 
had  been  disciples  of  the  Baptist.  This  fact  is  decisive  as 
to  their  moral  earnestness.  From  such  a  quarter  none  but 
spiritually  earnest  men  were  likely  to  come.  For  if  the  fol- 
lowers of  John  were  at  all  like  himself,  they  were  men  who 
hungered  and  thirsted  after  real  righteousness,  being  sick  of 
the  righteousness  then  in  vogue  ;  they  said  Amen  in  their 
hearts  to  the  preacher's  withering  exposure  of  the  hollow- 
ness  of  current  religious  profession  and  of  the  worthlessness 
of  fashionable  good  works,  and  sighed  for  a  sanctity  other 
than  that  of  pharisaic  superstition  and  ostentation  ;  their  con- 
science acknowledged  the  truth  of  the  prophetic  oracle,  "  We 
are  all  as  an  unclean  thing,  and  all  our  righteousnesses  are  as 
filthy  rags  ;  and  we  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf,  and  our  iniquities 
like  the  wind  have  taken  us  away  ;  "  and  they  prayed  fervently 
for  the  reviving  of  true  religion,  for  the  coming  of  the 
divine  kingdom,  for  the  advent  of  the  Messianic  King  with 
fan  in  His  hand  to  separate  chaff  from  wheat,  and  to  put 
right  all  things  which  were  wrong.  Such,  without  doubt, 
were  the  sentiments  of  those  who  had  the  honor  to  be  the 
first  disciples  of  Christ. 

Simon,  best  known  of  all  the  twelve  under  the  name  of 
Peter,  is  introduced  to  us  here,  through  the  prophetic  insight 
of  Jesus,  on  the  good  side  of  his  character  as  the  man  of 
rock.  When  this  disciple  was  brought  by  his  brother  Andrew 
into  the  presence  of  his  future  Master,  Jesus,  we  are  told, 
"beheld  him  and  said.  Thou  art  Simon  the  son  of  Jona : 
thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas"  —  Cephas  meaning  in  Syriac, 


6  The  Traini7ig  of  the  Twelve. 

as  the  evangelist  explains,  the  same  which  Petros  signifies 
in  Greek.  The  penetrating  glance  of  Christ  discerned  in 
this  disciple  latent  capacities  of  faith  and  devotion,  the 
rudiments  of  ultimate  strength  and  power. 

What  manner  of  man  Philip  was  the  evangelist  does  not 
directly  tell  us,  but  merely  whence  he  came.  From  the 
present  passage,  and  from  other  notices  in  the  Gospels,  the 
conclusion  has  been  drawn  that  he  was  characteristically 
deliberate,  slow  in  arriving  at  decision  ;  and  for  proof  of  this 
view,  reference  has  been  made  to  the  "phlegmatic  circum- 
stantiality "  ^  with  which  he  described  to  Nathanael  the 
person  of  Him  with  whom  he  had  just  become  acquainted.^ 
But  these  words  of  Philip,  and  all  that  we  elsewhere  read  of 
him,  rather  suggest  to  us  the  idea  of  the  earnest  inquirer 
after  truth,  who  has  thoroughly  searched  the  Scriptures 
and  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  Messiah  of  promise  and 
prophecy,  and  to  whom  the  knowledge  of  God  is  the  sumviuni 
boniim.  In  the  solicitude  manifested  by  this  disciple  to  win 
his  friend  Nathanael  over  to  the  same  faith  we  recognize 
that  generous  sympathetic  spirit,  characteristic  of  earnest 
inquirers,  which  afterwards  revealed  itself  in  him  when  he 
became  the  bearer  of  the  request  of  devout  Greeks  for  per- 
mission to  see  Jesus. 3 

The  notices  concerning  Nathanael,  Philip's  acquaintance, 
are  more  detailed  and  more  interesting  than  in  the  case  of 
any  other  of  the  five ;  and  it  is  not  a  little  surprising  that  we 
should  be  told  so  much  in  this  place  about  one  concerning 
whom  we  otherwise  know  almost  nothing.  It  is  even  not 
quite  certain  that  he  belonged  to  the  circle  of  the  twelve, 
though  the  probability  is,  that  he  is  to  be  identified  with  the 
Bartholomew  of  the  synoptical  catalogues  —  his  full  name  in 
that  case  being  Nathanael  the  son  of  Tolmai.  It  is  strongly 
in  favor  of  this  supposition  that  the  name  Bartholomew 
comes  immediately  after  Philip  in  the  lists  of  the  apostles.'t 
Be  this  as  it  may,  we  know  on  the  best  authority  that 
Nathanael  was  a  man  of  great  moral  excellence.  No  sooner 
had  Jesus  seen  him  than  He  exclaimed,  "Behold  an  Israelite 

'  Luthardt,  Das  Johan.  Evang.  i.  102.  ^  Ver.  45.  3  John  xii.  22. 

■♦  Ewald  lays  stress  on  tliis  in  proof  of  the  identity  of  the  two,  GeschiclUe  Ckristus, 
p.  327.     In  Acts  i.  13  Thomas  comes  between  Philip  and  Bartholomew. 


Beginnings,  7 

indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile  !  "  The  words  suggest  the  idea 
of  one  whose  heart  was  pure  ;  in  whom  was  no  doubleminded- 
ness,  impure  motive,  pride,  or  unholy  passion :  a  man  of  gentle, 
meditative  spirit,  in  whose  mind  heaven  lay  reflected  like  the 
blue  sky  in  a  still  lake  on  a  calm  summer  day.  He  was  a  man 
much  addicted  to  habits  of  devotion  :  he  had  been  engaged  in 
spiritual  exercises  under  cover  of  a  fig-tree  just  before  he  met 
with  Jesus.  So  we  are  justified  in  concluding,  from  the  deep 
impression  made  on  his  mind  by  the  words  of  Jesus,  "  Before 
that  Philip  called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the  fig-tree,  I 
saw  thee."  Nathanael  appears  to  have  understood  these 
words  as  meaning,  "  I  saw  into  thy  heart,  and  knew  how  thou 
wast  occupied,  and  therefore  I  pronounced  thee  an  Israelite 
indeed."  He  accepted  the  statement  made  to  him  by  Jesus 
as  an  evidence  of  preternatural  knowledge,  and  therefore  he 
forthwith  made  the  confession,  "  Rabbi !  Thou  art  the  Son  of 
God;  Thou  art  the  King oi  Israel"  —  the  King  of  that  sacred 
commonwealth  whereof  you  say  I  am  a  citizen. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  man,  so  highly  endowed  with 
the  moral  dispositions  necessary  for  seeing  God,  should  have 
been  the  only  one  of  all  the  five  disciples  who  manifested 
any  hesitancy  about  receiving  Jesus  as  the  Christ.  When 
Philip  told  him  that  he  had  found  the  Messiah  in  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  he  asked  incredulously,  "Can  there  any  good  thing 
come  out  of  Nazareth  .-• "  One  hardly  expects  such  prejudice 
in  one  so  meek  and  amiable ;  and  yet,  on  reflection,  we  per- 
ceive it  to  be  quite  characteristic.  Nathanael's  prejudice 
against  Nazareth  sprung  not  from  pride,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
people  of  Judaea  who  despised  the  Galileans  in  general,  but 
from  humility.  He  was  a  Galilean  himself,  and  as  much  an 
object  of  Jewish  contempt  as  were  the  Nazarenes.  His 
inward  thought  was,  "  Surely  the  Messiah  can  never  come 
from  among  a  poor  despised  people  such  as  we  are  —  from 
Nazareth  or  any  other  Galilean  town  or  village  !  "  '  He  tim- 
idly allowed  his  mind  to  be  biassed  by  a  current  opinion  origi- 
nating in  feelings  with  which  he  had  no  sympathy  ;  a  fault 

'  Stanley  thinks  Nathanael  meant  to  single  out  Nazareth  from  the  rest  of  Galilee  as 
of  specially  bad  notoriety.  In  that  case  the  argument  would  be  h  fortiori :  Can  any  good 
come  out  of  Galilee,  and  specially  from  Nazareth,  infamous  even  there  ?  —  Sinai  and 
Palestine,  p.  366. 


8  The  T^'aining  of  the  Twelve. 

common  to  men  whose  piety,  though  pure  and  sincere,  defers 
too  much  to  human  authority,  and  who  thus  become  the  slaves 
of  sentiments  utterly  unworthy  of  them. 

While  Nathanael  was  not  free  from  prejudices,  he  showed 
his  guilelessness  in  being  willing  to  have  them  removed. 
He  came  and  saw.  This  openness  to  conviction  is  the  mark 
of  moral  integrity.  The  guileless  man  dogmatizes  not,  but 
investigates,  and  therefore  always  comes  right  in  the  end. 
The  man  of  bad,  dishonest  heart,  on  the  contrary,  does  not 
come  and  see.  Deeming  it  his  interest  to  remain  in  his 
present  mind,  he  studiously  avoids  looking  at  aught  which 
does  not  tend  to  confirm  his  foregone  conclusions.  He  may, 
indeed,  profess  a  desire  for  inquiry,  like  certain  Israelites  of 
whom  we  read  in  this  same  Gospel,  of  another  stamp  than 
Nathanael,  but  sharing  with  him  the  prejudice  against  Galilee. 
"  Search  and  look,"  said  these  Israelites  not  without  guile, 
in  reply  to  the  ingenuous  question  of  the  honest  but  timid 
Nicodemus  :  "Doth  our  law  judge  any  man  before  it  hear 
him,  and  know  what  he  doeth  .? "  "Search  and  look,"  said 
they,  appealing  to  observation  and  inviting  inquiry ;  but  they 
added  :  "  For  out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet "  '  — a  dictum 
which  at  once  prohibited  inquiry  in  effect,  and  intimated 
that  it  was  unnecessary.  "  Search  and  look;  but  we  tell  you 
beforehand  you  cannot  arrive  at  any  other  conclusion  than 
ours  ;  nay,  we  warn  you,  you  had  better  not." 

Such  were  the  characters  of  the  men  who  first  believed  in 
Jesus.  What,  now,  was  the  amount  and  value  of  their  belief  } 
On  first  view  the  faith  of  the  five  disciples,  leaving  out  of 
account  the  brief  hesitation  of  Nathanael,  seems  unnaturally 
sudden  and  mature.  They  believe  in  Jesus  on  a  moment's 
notice,  and  they  express  their  faith  in  terms  which  seem 
appropriate  only  to  advanced  Christian  intelligence.  In  the 
present  section  of  John's  Gospel  we  find  Jesus  called  not 
merely  the  Christ,  the  Messiah,  the  King  of  Israel,  but  the 
Son  of  God  and  the  Lamb  of  God  —  names  expressive  to  us 
of  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  Christianity,  the  Incarnation  and 
the  Atonement. 

The  haste  and  maturity  which  seem  to  characterize  the 

'  John  vii.  52.  The  Revised  Version  has  :  "  Search  and  see  that  out  of  Galilee  ariseth 
no  prophet." 


Begiiuiings.  9 

faith  of  the  five  disciples  are  only  superficial  appearances. 
As  to  the  former :  these  men  believed  that  Messiah  was  to 
come  some  time ;  and  they  wished  much  it  might  be  then, 
for  they  felt  He  was  greatly  needed.  They  were  men  who 
waited  for  the  consolation  of  Israel,  and  they  were  prepared 
at  any  moment  to  witness  the  advent  of  the  Comforter. 
Then  the  Baptist  had  told  them  that  the  Christ  was  come, 
and  that  He  was  to  be  found  in  the  person  of  Him  whom  he 
had  baptized,  and  whose  baptism  had  been  accompanied  with 
such  remarkable  signs  from  heaven  ;  and  what  the  Baptist 
said  they  implicitly  believed.  Finally,  the  impression  pro- 
duced on  their  minds  by  the  bearing  of  Jesus  when  they  met, 
tended  to  confirm  John's  testimony,  being  altogether  worthy 
of  the  Christ. 

The  appearance  of  matiirity  in  the  faith  of  the  five  brethren 
is  equally  superficial.  As  to  the  name  Lamb  of  God,  it  was 
given  to  Jesus  by  John,  not  by  them.  It  was,  so  to  speak, 
the  baptismal  name  which  the  preacher  of  repentance  had 
learned  by  reflection,  or  by  special  revelation,  to  give  to  the 
Christ.  What  the  name  signified  even  he  but  dimly  compre- 
hended, the  very  repetition  of  it  showing  him  to  be  but  a 
learner  striving  to  get  up  his  lesson  ;  and  we  know  that  what 
John  understood  only  in  part,  the  men  whom  he  introduced 
to  the  acquaintance  of  Jesus,  now  and  for  long  after,  under- 
stood not  at  all.' 

The  title  Son  of  God  w^as  given  to  Jesus  by  one  of  the  five 
disciples  as  well  as  by  the  Baptist,  a  title  which  even  the 
apostles  in  after  years  found  sufficient  to  express  their  mature 
belief  respecting  the  Person  of  their  Lord.  But  it  does  not 
follow  that  the  name  was  used  by  them  at  the  beginning  with 
the  same  fulness  of  meaning  as  at  the  end.  It  was  a  name 
which  could  be  used  in  a  sense  coming  far  short  of  that  which 
it  is  capable  of  conveying,  and  which  it  did  convey  in  apos- 
tolic preaching  —  merely  as  one  of  the  Old  Testament  titles 

'  The  use  of  such  a  title  by  John  at  such  an  early  period  does  certainly  give  one  a 
surprise.  And  yet  is  it  not  more  surprising  to  find  such  a  passage  as  the  fifty-third  chap- 
ter of  Isaiah,  on  any  interpretation  of  it,  in  an  Old  Testament  book  ?  And  being  there, 
why  wonder  that  this  title  was  in  John's  mouth  ?  That  John  understood  the  full  import 
of  his  own  words  we  are  not  bound,  or  even  entitled,  to  believe.  Why  should  not  the 
utterance  be  as  much  a  mystery  for  him  as,  according  to  the  Apostle  Peter,  similar  utter- 
ances by  older  prophets  were  to  them  ? 


lo  The  Training  of  the  Ttvelve, 

of  Messiah,  a  synonyme  for  Christ.  It  was  doubtless  in  this 
rudimentary  sense  that  Nathanael  applied  the  designation  to 
Him,  whom  he  also  called  the  King  of  Israel. 

The  faith  of  these  brethren  was,  therefore,  just  such  as  we 
should  expect  in  beginners.  In  substance  it  amounted  to 
this,  that  they  recognized  in  Jesus  the  Divine  Prophet,  King, 
Son  of  Old  Testament  prophecy ;  and  its  value  lay  not  in  its 
maturity,  or  accuracy,  but  in  this,  that  however  imperfect,  it 
brought  them  into  contact  and  close  fellowship  with  Him,  in 
whose  company  they  were  to  see  greater  things  than  when 
they  first  believed,  one  truth  after  another  assuming  its  place 
in  the  firmament  of  their  minds,  like  the  stars  appearing  in 
the  evening  sky  as  daylight  fades  away 


CHAPTER   IL 

FISHERS   OF   MEN. 
Matt.  iv.  18-22;  Mark  i.  16-20;  Luke  v.  i-ii. 

The  twelve  arrived  at  their  final  intimate  relation  to  Jesus 
only  by  degrees,  three  stages  in  the  history  of  their  fellow- 
ship with  Him  being  distinguishable.  In  the  first  stage 
they  were  simply  believers  in  Him  as  the  Christ,  and  His 
occasional  companions  at  convenient,  particularly  festive, 
seasons.  Of  this  earliest  stage  in  the  intercourse  of  the 
disciples  with  their  Master  we  have  some  memorials  in  the 
four  first  chapters  of  John's  Gospel,  which  tell  how  some  of 
them  first  became  acquainted  with  Jesus,  and  represent  them 
as  accompanying  Him  at  a  marriage  in  Cana,'  at  a  passover 
in  Jerusalem,^  on  a  visit  to  the  scene  of  the  Baptist's  minis- 
try,3  and  on  the  return  journey  through  Samaria  from  the 
south  to  Galilee.  ■♦ 

In  the  second  stage,  fellowship  with  Christ  assumed  the 
form  of  an  uninterrupted  attendance  on  His  person,  in- 
volving entire,  or  at  least  habitual  al3andonment  of  secular 
occupations.5  The  present  narratives  bring  under  our  view  1 
certain  of  the  disciples  entering  on  this  second  stage  of  ^ 
discipleship.  Of  the  four  persons  here  named,  we  recognize 
three,  Peter,  Andrew,  and  John,  as  old  acquaintances,  who 
have  already  passed  through  the  first  stage  of  discipleship. 
One  of  them,  James  the  brother  of  John,  we  meet  with  for 
the  first  time  ;  a  fact  which  suggests  the  remark,  that  in  some 
cases  the  first  and  second  stages  may  have  been  blended 
together  —  professions  of  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Christ  being 
immediately  followed  by  the  renunciation  of  secular  callings 

'  John  ii.  I.  2  John  ii.  13,  17,  22. 

3  John  iii.  22.  4  John  iv.  1-27,  31,43-45. 

5  Entire  in  Matthew's  case,  of  course ;  in  the  case  of  the  fishers,  not  necessarily  so. 


12  The   Training  of  the   Tzvelve. 

for  the  purpose  of  joining  His  company.  Such  cases,  how- 
ever, were  probably  exceptional  and  few. 

The  twelve  entered  on  the  last  and  highest  stage  of  dis- 
cipleship  when  they  were  chosen  by  their  Master  from  the 
mass  of  His  followers,  and  formed  into  a  select  band,  to  be 
trained  for  the  great  work  of  the  apostleship.  This  impor- 
tant event  probably  did  not  take  place  till  all  the  members 
of  the  apostolic  circle  had  been  for  some  time  about  the 
person  of  Jesus. 

From  the  evangelic  records  it  appears  that  Jesus  began  at 
a  very  early  period  of  His  ministry  to  gather  round  Him  a 
company  of  disciples,  with  a  view  to  the  preparation  of  an 
agency  for  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  divine  kingdom. 
The  two  pairs  of  brothers  received  their  call  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  first  Galilean  ministry,  in  which  the  first 
act  was  the  selection  of  Capernaum  by  the  seaside  as  the 
centre  of  operations  and  ordinary  place  of  abode.'  And 
when  we  think  what  they  were  called  unto,  we  see  that  the 
call  could  not  come  too  soon.  The  twelve  were  to  be  Christ's 
witnesses  in  the  world  after  He  Himself  had  left  it ;  it 
was  to  be  their  peculiar  duty  to  give  to  the  world  a  faithful 
account  of  their  Master's  words  and  deeds,  a  just  image  of 
His  character,  a  true  reflection  of  His  spirit.^  This  service 
obviously  could  be  rendered  only  by  persons  who  had  been,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  eye-witnesses  and  servants  of  the  Incar- 
nate Word  from  the  beginning.  While,  therefore,  except  in 
the  cases  of  Peter,  James,  John,  Andrew,  and  Matthew,  we 
have  no  particulars  in  the  Gospels  respecting  the  calls  of 
those  who  afterwards  became  apostles,  we  must  assume  that 
they  all  occurred  in  the  first  year  of  the  Saviour's  public 
ministry. 

That  these  calls  were  given  with  conscious  reference  to  an 

i ulterior  end,  even  the  apostleship,  appears  from  the  remark- 
able terms  in  which  the  earliest  of  them  was  expressed. 
:*' Follow  Me,"  said  Jesus  to  the  fishermen  of  Bethsaida,  "and 
;I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men."     These  words  (whose  origi- 

\ 

»      '  Matt.  iv.  13. 

^  It  is  not  assumed  here  that  the  Gospels,  as  we  have  them,  were  written  by  apostles. 
The  statement  in  the  text  implies  only  that  the  teaching  of  the  apostles,  whether  oral  or 
written,  was  the  ultimate  source  of  the  evangelic  traditions  recorded  in  the  Gospels. 


Fishers  of  Men.  13 

nality  stamps  them  as  a  genuine  saying  of  Jesus)  show  that 
the  great  Founder  of  the  faith  desired  not  only  to  have  dis- 
ciples, but  to  have  about  Him  men  whom  He  might  train  to 
make  disciples  of  others  :  to  cast  the  net  of  divine  truth  into 
the  sea  of  the  world,  and  to  land  on  the  shores  of  the  divine 
kingdom  a  great  multitude  of  believing  souls.  Both  from 
His  words  and  from  His  actions  we  can  see  that  He  attached 
supreme  importance  to  that  part  of  His  work  which  consisted 
in  training  the  twelve.  In  the  intercessory  prayer,'  e.g.,  He 
speaks  of  the  training  He  had  given  these  men  as  if  it  had 
been  the  principal  part  of  His  own  earthly  ministry.  And 
such,  in  one  sense,  it  really  was.  The  careful,  painstaking 
education  of  the  disciples  secured  that  the  Teacher's  influ- 
ence on  the  world  should  be  permanent ;  that  His  kingdom 
should  be  founded  on  the  rock  of  deep  and  indestructible 
convictions  in  the  minds  of  the  few,  not  on  the  shifting  sands 
of  superficial  evanescent  impressions  on  the  minds  of  the 
many.  Regarding  that  kingdom,  as  our  Lord  Himself  has 
taught  us  in  one  of  His  parables  to  do,^  as  a  thing  introduced 
into  the  world  like  a  seed  cast  into  the  ground  and  left  to 
grow  according  to  natural  laws,  we  may  say  that,  but  for  the 
twelve,  the  doctrine,  the  works,  and  the  image  of  Jesus 
might  have  perished  from  human  remembrance,  nothing 
remaining  but  a  vague  mythical  tradition,  of  no  historical 
value,  and  of  little  practical  influence. 

Those  on  whom  so  much  depended,  it  plainly  behoved  to 
possess  very  extraordinary  qualifications.  The  mirrors  must 
be  finely  polished  that  are  designed  to  reflect  the  image  of 
Christ  !  The  apostles  of  the  Christian  religion  must  be  men 
of  rare  spiritual  endowment.  It  is  a  catholic  religion,  intended 
for  all  nations ;  therefore  its  apostles  must  be  free  from 
Jewish  narrowness,  and  have  sympathies  wide  as  the  world. 
It  is  a  spiritJial  religion,  destined  ere  long  to  antiquate 
Jewish  ceremonialism  ;  therefore  its  apostles  must  be  eman- 
cipated in  conscience  from  the  yoke  of  ordinances.^  It  is  a 
religion,  once  more,  which   is   to    proclaim    the    Cross,   pre- 

'  John  xvii.  6.  ^  Mark  iv.  26. 

3  Universality  and  Spirituality  are  admitted  by  the  Tubingen  school  to  have  been 
attributes  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  as  set  forth  by  Himself.  This  is  an  important  fact  in 
connection  with  their  conflict-hypothesis. 


14  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

viously  an  instrument  of  cruelty  and  badge  of  infamy,  as  the 
hope  of  the  world's  redemption,  and  the  symbol  of  all  that  is 
noble  and  heroic  in  conduct ;  therefore  its  heralds  must  be 
superior  to  all  conventional  notions  of  human  and  divine 
dignity,  capable  of  glorying  in  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  will- 
ing to  bear  a  cross  themselves.  The  apostolic  character,  in 
short,  must  combine  freedom  of  conscience,  enlargement  of 
heart,  enlightenment  of  mind,  and  all  in  the  superlative 
degree. 

The  humble  fishermen  of  Galilee  had  much  to  learn  before 
they  could  satisfy  these  high  requirements  ;  so  much,  that 
the  time  of  their  apprenticeship  for  their  apostolic  work, 
even  reckoning  it  from  the  very  commencement  of  Christ's 
ministry,  seems  all  too  short.  They  were  indeed  godly  men, 
who  had  already  shown  the  sincerity  of  their  piety  by  for- 
saking all  for  their  Master's  sake.  But  at  the  time  of  their 
call  they  were  exceedingly  ignorant,  narrow-minded,  supersti- 
tious, full  of  Jewish  prejudices,  misconceptions,  and  animosi- 
ties. They  had  much  to  unlearn  of  what  was  bad,  as  well 
as  much  to  learn  of  what  was  good,  and  they  were  slow  both 
to  learn  and  to  unlearn.  Old  beliefs  already  in  possession 
of  their  minds  made  the  communication  of  new  religious 
ideas  a  difficult  task.  Men  of  good  honest  heart,  the  soil  of 
their  spiritual  nature  was  fitted  to  produce  an  abundant 
harvest  ;  but  it  was  stiff,  and  needed  much  laborious  tillage 
before  it  would  yield  its  fruit.  Then,  once  more,  they  were 
poor  men,  of  humble  birth,  low  station,  mean  occupations, 
who  had  never  felt  the  stimulating  influence  of  a  liberal 
education,  or  of  social  intercourse  with  persons  of  cultivated 
minds.' 

We  shall  meet  with  abundant  evidence  of  the  crude  spirit- 
ual condition  of  the  twelve,  even  long  after  the  period  when 
they  were  called  to  follow  Jesus,  as  we  proceed  with  the 
studies  on  which  we  have  entered.  Meantime  we  may  dis- 
cover significant  indications  of  the  religious  immaturity  of  at 

'  Throughout  this  work  great  prominence  is  given  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  defects 
of  the  twelve.  But  v/e  must  protest  at  the  outset  against  the  inference  that  such  men 
must  remain  permanently  disqualified  for  the  task  of  being  the  apostles  of  the  universal 
religion,  the  religion  of  humanity.  Everything  may  be  hoped  of  men  who  could  leave 
all  for  Christ's  society.  Where  there  is  a  noble  soul,  there  is  an  indefinite  capacity  of 
growth. 


Fishers  of  Men.  15 

least  one  of  the  disciples  —  Simon,  son  of  Jonas  —  in  Luke's 
account  of  the  incidents  connected  with  his  call.  Pressed 
by  the  multitude  who  had  assembled  on  the  shore  of  the  lake 
to  hear  Him  preach,  Jesus,  we  read,  entered  into  a  ship 
(one  of  two  lying  near  at  hand),  which  happened  to  be 
Simon's,  and  requesting  him  to  thrust  out  a  little  from  the 
land,  sat  down,  and  taught  the  people  from  the  vessel.  Hav- 
ing finished  speaking,  Jesus  said  unto  the  owner  of  the  boat, 
"  Launch  out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for  a 
draught."  Their  previous  efforts  to  catch  fish  had  been 
unsuccessful ;  but  Simon  and  his  brother  did  as  Jesus 
directed,  and  were  rewarded  by  an  extraordinary  take,  which 
appeared  to  them  and  their  fishing  companions,  James  and 
John,  nothing  short  of  miraculous.  Simon,  the  most  impress- 
ible and  the  most  demonstrative  of  the  four,  gave  utterance 
to  his  feelings  of  astonishment  by  characteristic  words  and 
gestures.  He  fell  down  at  Jesus'  knees,  saying,  "  Depart 
from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord  ! " 

This  exclamation  opens  a  window  into  the  inner  man  of 
him  who  uttered  it  through  which  we  can  see  his  spiritual 
state.  We  observe  in  Peter  at  this  time  that  mixture  of 
good  and  evil,  of  grace  and  nature,  which  so  frequently 
reappears  in  his  character  in  the  subsequent  history.  Among 
the  good  elements  discernible  are  reverential  awe  in  pres- 
ence of  Divine  Power,  a  prompt  calling  to  mind  of  sin 
betraying  tenderness  of  conscience,  and  an  unfeigned  self- 
humiliation  on  account  of  unmerited  favor.  Valuable  fea- 
tures of  character  these  ;  but  they  did  not  exist  in  Peter 
without  alloy.  Along  with  them  were  associated  supersti- 
tious dread  of  the  supernatural  and  a  slavish  fear  of  God. 
The  presence  of  the  former  element  is  implied  in  the  reassur- 
ing exhortation  addressed  to  the  disciple  by  Jesus,  "  F^ear 
not  ;  from  henceforth  thou  shalt  catch  men."  Slavish  fear 
of  God  is  even  more  manifest  in  his  own  words,  "  Depart 
from  me,  O  Lord."  Powerfully  impressed  with  the  super- 
human knowledge  revealed  in  connection  with  the  great 
draught  of  fishes,  he  regards  Jesus  for  the  moment  as  a 
supernatural  being,  and  as  such  dreads  Him  as  one  whom 
it  is  not  safe  to  be  near,  especially  for  a  poor  sinful  mortal 
like  himself.     This  state  of  mind  shows   how  utterly  unfit 


1 6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Peter  is,  as  yet,  to  be  an  apostle  of  a  Gospel  which  magnifies 
the  grace  of  God  even  to  the  chief  of  sinners.  His  piety, 
sufficiently  strong  and  decided,  is  not  of  a  Christian  type ;  it 
is  legal,  one  might  almost  say  pagan,  in  spirit. 

With  all  their  imperfections,  which  were  both  numerous 
and  great,  these  humble  fishermen  of  Galilee  had,  at  the 
very  outset  of  their  career,  one  grand  distinguishing  virtue, 
which,  though  it  may  co-exist  with  many  defects,  is  the  car- 
^  dinal  virtue  of  Christian  ethics,  and  the  certain  forerunner 
of  ultimate  high  attainment.  Xti^y  were  animated  by  a 
devotion  to  Jesus  and  to  the  divine  kingdom  which  made 
them  capable  of  any  sacrifice.  Believing  Him  who  bade 
them  follow  Him  to  be  the  Christ,  come  to  set  up  God's 
kingdom  on  earth,  they  "  straightway  "  left  their  nets  and 
joined  his  company,  to  be  thenceforth  His  constant  compan- 
ions in  all  His  wanderings.  The  act  was  acknowledged  by 
Jesus  Himself  to  be  meritorious ;  and  we  cannot,  without 
injustice,  seek  to  disparage  it  by  ascribing  it  to  idleness, 
discontent,  or  ambition  as  its  motive.  The  Gospel  narrative 
shows  that  the  four  brethren  were  not  idle,  but  hard-working, 
industrious  men.  Neither  were  they  discontented,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  that  they  had  no  cause  for  discontent. 
The  family  of  James  and  John  at  least  seems  to  have  been 
in  circumstances  of  comfort ;  for  Mark  relates  that,  when 
called  by  Jesus,  they  left  their  father  Zebedee  in  the  ship 
with  the  hired  servants,  and  went  after  Him.  But  ambition, 
had  it  no  place  among  their  motives  .•*  Well,  we  must  admit 
that  the  twelve,  and  especially  James  and  John,  were  by  no 
means  free  from  ambitious  passions,  as  we  shall  see  here- 
after. But  to  whatever  extent  ambition  may  have  influ- 
enced their  conduct  at  a  later  period,  it  was  not  the  motive 
which  determined  them  to  leave  their  nets.  Ambition  needs 
a  temptation  :  it  does  not  join  a  cause  which  is  obscure  and 
struggling,  and  whose  success  is  doubtful ;  it  strikes  in  when 
success  is  assured,  and  when  the  movement  it  patronizes  is 
on  the  eve  of  its  glorification.  The  cause  of  Jesus  had  not 
got  to  that  stage  yet. 

One  charge  only  can  be  brought  against  those  men,  and  i\ 
can  be  brought  with  truth,  and  without  doing  their  memory 
any  harm.     They  were  eji/liusiasjj :  their  hearts  were  fired, 


Fishers  of  Men.  1 7 

and,  as  an  unbelieving  world  might  say,  their  heads  were 
turned  by  a  dream  about  a  divine  kingdom  to  be  set  up  in 
Israel,  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth  for  its  king.  That  dream 
possessed  them,  and  imperiously  ruled  over  their  minds  and 
shaped  their  destinies,  compelling  them,  like  Abraham,  to 
leave  their  kindred  and  their  country,  and  to  go  forth  on 
what  might  well  appear  beforehand  to  be  a  fool's  errand. 
Well  for  the  world  that  they  were  possessed  by  the  idea  of 
the  kingdom  !  For  it  was  no  fool's  errand  on  which  they 
went  forth,  leaving  their  nets  behind.  The  kingdom  they 
sought  turned  out  to  be  as  real  as  the  land  of  Canaan,  though 
not  such  altogether  as  they  had  imagined.  The  fishermen  of 
Galilee  did  become  fishers  of  men  on  a  most  extensive  scale, 
and,  by  the  help  of  God,  gathered  many  souls  into  the  church 
of  such  as  should  be  saved.  In  a  sense  they  are  casting! 
their  nets  into  the  sea  of  the  world  still,  and,  by  their  testi-| 
mony  to  Jesus  in  Gospel  and  Epistle,  are  bringing  multitudesj 
to  become  disciples  of  Him  among  whose  first  followers  they 
had  the  happiness  to  be  numbered.  ' 

The  four,  the  twelve,  forsook  all  and  followed  their  Master. 
Did  the  "  all "  in  any  case  include  wife  and  children  .'*  It 
did  in  at  least  one  instance — that  of  Peter;  for  the  Gospels 
tell  how  Peter's  mother-in-law  was  healed  of  a  fever  by  the 
miraculous  power  of  Christ.'  From  a  passage  in  Paul's  first 
epistle  to  the  Corinthian  church,  it  appears  that  Peter  was 
not  the  only  one  among  the  apostles  who  was  married.^ 
From  the  same  passage  we  further  learn,  that  forsaking  of 
wives  for  Christ's  sake  did  not  mean  literal  desertion.  Peter 
the  apostle  led  his  wife  about  with  him,  and  Peter  the  disciple 
may  sometimes  have  done  the  same.  The  likelihood  is  that 
the  married  disciples,  like  married  soldiers,  took  their  wives 
with  them  or  left  them  at  home,  as  circumstances  might  re- 
quire or  admit.  Women,  even  married  women,  did  sometimes 
follow  Jesus ;  and  the  wife  of  Simon,  or  of  any  other  married 
disciple,  may  occasionally  have  been  among  the  number. 
At  an  advanced  period  in  the  history  we  find  the  mother  of 
James  and  John  in  Christ's  company  far  from  home ;  and 
where  mothers  were,  wives,  if  they  wished,  might  also  be. 
The  infant  church,  in  its  original  nomadic  or  itinerant  state, 

'  Matt.  viii.  14;  Mark  i.  29-31 ;  Luke  iv.  38,  39.  *  i  Cor.  ix.  5. 


1 8  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

seems  to  have  been  a  motley  band  of  pilgrims,  in  which  all 
sorts  of  people  as  to  sex,  social  position,  and  moral  character 
were  united,  the  bond  of  union  being  ardent  attachment  to 
the  person  of  Jesus. 

This  church  itinerant  was  not  a  regularly  organized  society, 
of  whicR~rt  was  necessary  to  be  a  constant  member  in  order 
to  true  discipleship.  Except  in  the  case  of  the  twelve,  follow- 
ing Jesus  from  place  to  place  was  optional,  not  compulsory ; 
and  in  most  cases  it  was  probably  also  only  occasional.' 
It  was  the  natural  consequence  of  faith,  when  the  object 
of  faith,  the  centre  of  the  circle,  was  Himself  in  motion. 
Believers  would  naturally  desire  to  see  as  many  of  Christ's 
works  and  hear  as  many  of  His  words  as  possible.  When 
the  object  of  faith  left  the  earth,  and  His  presence  became 
spiritual,  all  occasion  for  such  nomadic  discipleship  was  done 
away.  To  be  present  with  Him  thereafter,  men  needed  only 
to  forsake  their  sins. 

'  The  words  recorded  in  Luke  xxii.  28,  as  spoken  by  Jesus  to  the  disciples  on  the 
night  before  His  death,  "  Ye  are  they  who  have  continued  with  me  in  my  temptations," 
might  be  referred  to  as  tending  to  prove  both  the  conthiuousness  of  the  companionsliip 
of  the  twelve  with  Jesus  and  the  early  date  of  its  commencement.  The  saying  is  directly 
intended  to  bear  testimony  to  the  fidelity  of  the  disciples,  but  it  bears  indirect  testimony 
on  the  other  points  also.  They  had  been  with  their  Master,  if  not  as  a  constituted  body 
of  twelve,  at  least  as  individuals,  from  the  time  He  began  to  have  "temptations,"  which 
was  very  early,  and  they  had  been  with  Him  throughout  them  all. 


CHAPTER   III. 

MATTHEW    THE    PUBLICAN. 
Matt.  ix.  9-13 ;  Mark  ii.  15-17;  Luke  v.  27-32. 

The  call  of  Matthew  signally  illustrates  a  very  prominent 
feature  in  the  public  action  of  Jesus,  viz.,  His  utter  disregard 
of  the  maxims  of  worldly  wisdom.  A  publican  disciple,  much 
more  a  publican  apostle,  could  not  fail  to  be  a  stumbling- 
block  to  Jewish  prejudice,  and  therefore  to  be,  for  the  time 
at  least,  a  source  of  weakness  rather  than  of  strength.  Yet, 
while  perfectly  aware  of  this  fact,  Jesus  invited  to  the  inti- 
mate fellowship  of  disciplehood  one  who  had  pursued  the 
occupation  of  a  tax-gatherer,  and  at  a  later  period  selected 
him  to  be  one  of  the  twelve.  His  procedure  in  this  case  is 
all  the  more  remarkable  when  contrasted  with  the  manner  in 
which  He  treated  others  having  outward  advantages  to  recom- 
mend them  to  favorable  notice,  and  who  showed  their  readi- 
ness to  follow  by  volunteering  to  become  disciples  ;  of  whom 
we  have  a  sample  in  the  scribe  who  came  and  said,  "  Master, 
I  will  follow  Thee  whithersoever  Thou  goest."  '  This  man, 
whose  social  position  and  professional  attainments  seemed  to 
point  him  out  as  a  very  desirable  acquisition,  the  "Master" 
deliberately  scared  away  by  a  gloomy  picture  of  his  own 
destitute  condition,  saying,  "The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the 
birds  of  the  air  have  nests,^  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not 
where  to  lay  His  head." 

The  eye  of  Jesus  was  single  as  well  as  omniscient :  He 
looked  on  the  heart,  and  had  respect  solely  to  spiritual  fit- 
ness. He  had  no  faith  in  any  discipleship  based  on  misap- 
prehensions and  by-ends  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  He  had  no 
fear  of  the  drawbacks  arising  out  of  the  external  connections 
or  past  history  of  true  believers,  but  was  entirely  indifferent 

'  Matt.  viii.  i8--2o.  '  More  correctly,  roosts,  or  lodging-places. 

19 


20  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

to  men's  antecedents.  Confident  in  the  power  of  truth,  He 
chose  the  base  things  of  the  world  in  preference  to  things 
held  in  esteem,  assured  that  they  would  conquer  at  the  last. 
Aware  that  both  He  and  His  disciples  would  be  despised 
and  rejected  of  men  for  a  season,  He  went  calmly  on  His 
way,  choosing  for  His  companions  and  agents  "  whom  He 
would,"  undisturbed  by  the  gainsaying  of  His  generation  — 
like  one  zvho  knew  that  His  work  concerned  all  nations  and  all 
time. 

The  publican  disciple  bears  two  names  in  the  Gospel 
history.  In  the  first  Gospel  he  is  called  Matthew,  while  in 
the  second  and  third  Gospels  he  is  called  Levi.  That  the 
same  person  is  intended,  may,  we  think,  be  regarded  as  a 
matter  of  certainty.'  It  is  hardly  conceivable  that  two  publi- 
cans should  have  been  called  to  be  disciples  at  the  same 
place  and  time,  and  with  all  accompanying  circumstances, 
and  these  so  remarkable,  precisely  similar.  We  need  not  be 
surprised  that  the  identity  has  not  been  notified,  as  the  fact 
of  the  two  names  belonging  to  one  individual  would  be  so 
familiar  to  the  first  readers  of  the  Gospels  as  to  make  such  a 
piece  of  information  superfluous. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  Levi  was  the  name  of  this  dis- 
ciple before  the  time  of  his  call,  and  that  Matthew  was  his 
name  as  a  disciple,  —  the  new  name  thus  becoming  a  symbol 
and  memorial  of  the  more  important  change  in  heart  and  life. 
Similar  emblematic  changes  of  name  were  of  frequent  occur- 
rence in  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel.  Simon  son  of  Jonas 
was  transformed  into  Peter,  Saul  of  Tarsus  became  Paul,  and 
Joses  the  Cypriot  got  from  the  apostles  the  beautful  Chris- 
tian name  of  Barnabas  (son  of  consolation  or  prophecy),  by 
his  philanthropy,  and  magnanimity,  and  spiritual  wisdom, 
well  deserved. 

Matthew  seems  to  have  been  employed  as  a  collector  of 
revenue,  at  the  time  when  he  was  called,  in  the  town  of 
Capernaum,  which  Jesus  had  adopted  as  His  place  of  abode. 
For  it  was  while  Jesus  was  at  home  "in  His  own  city,"  ^  as 

*  Ewald  {Christus,  pp.  364,  397)  denies  the  identity,  and  asserts  that  Levi  was 
not  one  of  the  twelve;  yet  he  admits  the  far  less  certain  identity  of  Nathanael  and 
Bartholomew. 

2  Matt.  ix.  I. 


Mattheiv  the  Publican.  21 

Capernaum  came  to  be  called,  that  the  palsied  man  was 
brought  to  Him  to  be  healed  ;  and  from  all  the  evangelists  ' 
we  learn  that  it  was  on  His  way  out  from  the  house  where 
that  miracle  was  wrought  that  He  saw  Matthew,  and  spoke 
to  him  the  word,  "Follow  Me."  The  inference  to  be  drawn 
from  these  facts  is  plain,  and  it  is  also  important,  as  helping 
to  explain  the  apparent  abruptness  of  the  call,  and  the 
promptitude  with  which  it  was  responded  to.  Jesus  and  His 
new  disciple  being  fellow-townsmen,  had  opportunities  of 
seeing  each  other  before. 

The  time  of  Matthew's  call  cannot  be  precisely  deter- 
mined, but  there  is  good  reason  for  placing  it  before  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  of  which  Matthew's  Gospel  contains 
the  most  complete  report.  The  fact  just  stated  is  of  itself 
strong  evidence  in  favor  of  this  chronological  arrangement, 
for  so  full  an  account  of  the  sermon  was  not  likely  to  ema- 
nate from  one  who  did  not  hear  it.  An  examination  of  the 
third  Gospel  converts  probability  into  something  like  cer- 
tainty. Luke  prefixes  to  his  abbreviated  account  of  the 
sermon  a  notice  of  the  constitution  of  the  apostolic  society, 
and  represents  Jesus  as  proceeding  "with  them  "  ^  —  the 
twelve,  whose  names  he  has  just  given  —  to  the  scene  where 
the  sermon  was  delivered.  Of  course  the  act  of  constitution 
must  have  been  preceded  by  the  separate  acts  of  calling, 
and  by  Matthew's  call  in  particular,  which  accordingly  is 
related  by  the  third  evangelist  in  an  earlier  part  of  his  Gos- 
pel.^ It  is  true  the  position  of  the  call  in  Luke's  narrative 
in  itself  proves  nothing,  as  Matthew  relates  his  own  call 
after  the  sermon  ;  and  as,  moreover,  neither  one  nor  other 
systematically  adheres  to  the  chronological  principle  of 
arrangement  in  the  construction  of  his  story.  We  base  our 
conclusion  on  the  assumption,  that  when  any  of  the  evangel- 
ists professes  to  give  the  order  of  sequence,  his  statement 
may  be  relied  on  ;  and  on  the  observations,  that  Luke  does 
manifestly  commit  himself  to  a  chronological  datum  in 
making  the  ordination  of  the  twelve  antecedent  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  that  Matthew's 
arrangement  in  the  early  part  of  his  Gospel  is  as  manifestly 
unchronological,   his    matter  being    massed    on    the    topica'i 

•  Matt.  ix.  9;  Mark  ii.  13;  Luke  v.  27.  ^  Luke  vi.  13-17.  ^  Luke  v.  27. 


2  2  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

principle,  —  ch.  v.-vii.  showing  Jesus  as  a  great  ethical 
teacher;  ch.  viii.  and  ix.  as  a  worker  of  miracles  ;  ch.  x.  as  a 
master,  choosing,  instructing,  and  sending  forth  on  an  evan- 
gelistic mission  the  twelve  disciples  ;  ch.  xi.  as  a  critic  of 
His  contemporaries  and  assertor  of  His  own  prerogatives  ; 
ch.  xii.  as  exposed  to  the  contradictions  of  unbelief ;  and  ch. 
xiii.  as  teaching  the  doctrines  of  the  kingdom  by  parables. 

Passing  from  these  subordinate  points  to  the  call  itself, 
we  observe  that  the  narratives  of  the  event  are  very  brief 
and  fragmentary.  There  is  no  intimation  of  any  previous 
acquaintance  such  as  might  prepare  Matthew  to  comply  with 
the  invitation  addressed  to  him  by  Jesus.  It  is  not  to  be 
inferred,  however,  that  no  such  acquaintance  existed,  as  we 
can  see  from  the  case  of  the  four  fishermen,  whose  call  is 
narrated  with  equal  abruptness  in  the  synoptical  Gospels, 
while  we  know  from  John's  Gospel  that  three  of  them  at 
least  were  previously  acquainted  with  Jesus.  The  truth  is, 
that,  in  regard  to  both  calls,  the  evangelists  concerned  them- 
selves only  about  the  crisis,  passing  over  in  silence  all 
preparatory  stages,  and  not  deeming  it  necessary  to  inform 
intelligent  readers  that,  of  course,  neither  the  publican  nor 
any  other  disciple  blindly  followed  one  of  whom  he  knew 
nothing  merely  because  asked  or  commanded  to  follow.  The 
fact  already  ascertained,  that  Matthew,  while  a  publican, 
resided  in  Capernaum,  makes  it  absolutely  certain  that  he 
knew  of  Jesus  before  he  was  called.  No  man  could  live  in 
that  town  in  those  days  without  hearing  of  "  mighty  works  " 
done  in  and  around  it.  Heaven  had  been  opened  right  above 
Capernaum,  in  view  of  all,  and  the  angels  had  been  throng- 
ing down  upon  the  Son  of  man.  Lepers  were  cleansed,  and 
demoniacs  dispossessed  ;  blind  men  received  their  sight,  and 
palsied  men  the  use  of  their  limbs  ;  one  woman  was  cured 
of  a  chronic  malady,  and  another,  daughter  of  a  distinguished 
citizen, — Jairus,  ruler  of  the  synagogue, — was  brought 
back  to  life  from  the  dead.  These  things  were  done  pub- 
licly, made  a  great  noise,  and  were  much  remarked  on.  The 
evangelists  relate  how  the  people  "  were  all  amazed,  inso- 
much that  they  questioned  among  themselves,  saying.  What 
thing  is  this  .''  what  new  doctrine  is  this  .-'  for  with  authority 
commandeth  He  even  the  unclean  spirits,  and  they  do  obey 


Matthew  the  PiLblican.  23 

Him  ;"' how  they  glorified  God,  saying,  "We  never  saw  it 
on  this  fashion,"  ^  or,  "  We  have  seen  stransre  thing's 
to-day."  3  Matthew  himself  concludes  his  account  of  the 
raising  of  Jairus'  daughter  with  the  remark  :  "  The  fame 
hereof  went  abroad  into  all  that  land.""* 

We  do  not  affirm  that  all  these  miracles  were  wrought 
before  the  time  of  the  publican's  call,  but  some  of  them 
certainly  were.  Comparing  one  Gospel  with  another,  to 
determine  the  historical  sequence.^  we  conclude  that  the 
greatest  of  all  these  mighty  works,  the  last  mentioned, 
though  narrated  by  Matthew  after  his  call,  really  occurred 
before  it.  Think,  then,  what  a  powerful  effect  that  marvel- 
lous deed  would  have  in  preparing  the  tax-gatherer  for 
recognizing,  in  the  solemnly  uttered  word,  "  Follow  me,"  the 
command  of  One  who  was  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  of  the 
living,  and  for  yielding  to  His  bidding,  prompt,  unhesitating 
obedience  ! 

In  crediting  Matthew  with  some  previous  knowledge  of 
Christ,  we  make  his  conversion  to  discipleship  appear  reason- 
able without  diminishing  its  moral  value.  It  was  not  a 
matter  of  course  that  he  should  become  a  follower  of  Jesus 
merely  because  he  had  heard  of,  or  even  seen.  His  wonder- 
ful works.  Miracles  of  themselves  could  make  no  man  a 
believer,  otherwise  all  the  people  of  Capernaum  should  have 
believed.  How  different  was  the  actual  fact,  we  learn  from 
the  complaints  afterwards  made  by  Jesus  concerning  those 
towns  along  the  shores  of  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth,  wherein 
most  of  His  mighty  works  were  done,  and  of  CapcTuaimi  in 
particular.  Of  this  city  He  said  bitterly  :  "  Thou,  Capernaum, 
shalt  thou  be  exalted  unto  heaven }  thou  shalt  go  down  unto 
Hades  :  for  if  the  mighty  works  which  have  been  done  in 
thee  had  been  done  in  Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  until 
this  day.^  Christ's  complaint  against  the  inhabitants  of 
these  favored  cities  was  that  they  did  not   repent,  that    is, 

'  Mark  i.  27.  3  Luke  v.  26. 

2  Mark  ii.  12.  4  Matt.  ix.  26. 

^  See  Ebrard,  Gospel  History,  on  the  subject  of  sequence. 

^  Matt.  xi.  23.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  reading  ^i}r\  \j^iaQy\<Ti\,  in  the  first 
clause,  adopted  in  the  R.  V.,  is  the  correct  one.  It  brings  Christ's  prophetic  word  into 
closer  correspondence  with  Isa.  xiv.  13-15,  to  which  there  is  an  obvious  allusion  :  "  Thou 
hast  said  in  thine  heart,  I  will  ascend  unto  heaven.  .  .  .  Yet  thou  shalt  be  brought  down 
to  hell." 


24  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

make  the  kingdom  of  heaven  their  chief  good  and  chief  end. 
They  wondered  sufficiently  at  His  miracles,  and  talked  abun- 
dantly of  them,  and  ran  after  Him  to  see  more  works  of  the 
same  kind,  and  enjoy  anew  the  sensation  of  amazement ;  but 
after  a  while  they  relapsed  into  their  old  stupidity  and  list- 
lessness,  and  remained  morally  as  they  had  been  before  He 
came  among  them,  not  children  of  the  kingdom,  but  children 
of  this  world. 

It  was  not  so  with  the  collector  of  customs.  He  not 
merely  wondered  and  talked,  but  he  "repented."  Whether 
he  had  more  to  repent  of  than  his  neighbors,  we  cannot  tell. 
It  is  true  that  he  belonged  to  a  class  of  men  who,  seen 
through  the  colored  medium  of  popular  prejudice,  were  all 
bad  alike,  and  many  of  whom  were  really  guilty  of  fraud  and 
extortion  ;  but  he  may  have  been  an  exception.  His  farewell , 
feast  shows  that  he  possessed  means,  but  we  must  not  take 
for  granted  that  they  were  dishonestly  earned.  This  only 
we  may  safely  say,  that  if  the  publican  disciple  had  been 
covetous,  the  spirit  of  greed  was  now  exorcised  ;  if  he  had 
ever  been  guilty  of  oppressing  the  poor,  he  now  abhorred 
such  work.  He  had  grown  weary  of  collecting  revenue  from 
a  reluctant  population,  and  was  glad  to  follow  One  who  had 
come  to  take  burdens  off  instead  of  laying  them  on,  to  remit 
debts  instead  of  exacting  them  with  rigor.  And  so  it  came 
to  pass  that  the  voice  of  Jesus  acted  on  his  heart  like  a  spell : 
"  He  left  all,  rose  up,  and  followed  Him." 

This  great  decision,  according  to  the  account  of  all  the 
evangelists,  was  followed  shortly  after  by  a  feast  in  Matthew's 
house  at  which  Jesus  was  present.'  From  Luke  we  learn 
that  this  entertainment  had  all  the  character  of  a  great 
occasion,  and  that  it  was  given  in  honor  of  Jesus.  The 
honor,  however,  was  such  as  few  would  value,  for  the  other 
guests  were  peculiar.  "  There  was  a  great  company  of  pub- 
licans, and  of  others  that  sat  down  v/ith  them  ; "  ="  and  among 
the  "others"  were  some  who  either  were  or  were  esteemed, 
in  a  superlative  degree,  "  sinners."  3 

This  feast  was,  as  we  judge,  not  less  rich  in  moral  signifi- 
cance than  in  the  viands  set  on  the  board.     For  the  host 

I  Matthew  says  modestly,  "  in  the  house  "  (ix.  lo).  '  Luke  v.  29. 

^  Matt.  vf..  10. 


Matthew  the  Publican.  25 

himself  it  was,  without  doubt,  a  jubilee  feast  commemorative 
of  his  emancipation  from  drudgery  and  uncongenial  society 
and  sin,  or,  at  all  events,  temptation  to  sin,  and  of  his  entrance 
on  the  free,  blessed  life  of  fellowship  with  Jesus.  It  was  a 
kind  of  poem,  saying  for  Matthew  what  Doddridge's  familiar 
lines  say  for  many  another,  perhaps  not  so  well  — 

"  Oh  happy  day,  that  fixed  my  choice 
On  Thee,  my  Saviour,  and  my  God  ! 
Well  may  this  glowing  heart  rejoice, 
And  tell  its  raptures  all  abroad  ! 

'Tis  done  ;  the  great  transaction's  done  ; 

I  am  my  Lord's,  and  He  is  mine ; 
He  drew  me,  and  I  followed  on, 

Charmed  to  confess  the  voice  divine." 

The  feast  was  also,  as  already  said,  an  act  of  homage  to 
Jesus.  Matthew  made  his  splendid  feast  in  honor  of  his  new 
master,  as  Mary  of  Bethany  shed  her  precious  ointment.  It 
is  the  way  of  those  to  whom  much  grace  is  shown  and  given, 
to  manifest  their  grateful  love  in  deeds  bearing  the  stamp  of 
what  a  Greek  philosopher  called  magnificence,'  and  churls 
call  extravagance ;  and  whoever  might  blame  such  acts  of 
devotion,  Jesus  always  accepted  them  with  pleasure. 

The  ex-publican's  feast  seems  further  to  have  had  the 
character  of  a  farewell  entertainment  to  his  fellow-publicans. 
He  and  they  were  to  go  different  ways  henceforth,  and  he 
would  part  with  his  old  comrades  in  peace. 

Once  more  :  we  can  believe  that  Matthew  meant  his  feast 
to  be  the  means  of  introducing  his  friends  and  neighbors  to 
the  acquaintance  of  Jesus,  seeking  with  the  characteristic  zeal 
of  a  young  disciple  to  induce  others  to  take  the  step  which 
he  had  resolved  on  himself,  or  at  least  hoping  that  some 
sinners  present  might  be  drawn  from  evil  ways  into  the  paths 
of  righteousness.  And  who  can  tell  but  it  was  at  this  very 
festive  gathering,  or  on  some  similar  occasion,  that  the 
gracious  impressions  were  produced  whose  final  outcome  was 
that  affecting  display  of  gratitude  unutterable  at  that  other 
feast  in  Simon's  house,  to  which  neither  publicans  nor  sinners 
were  admitted .'' 

'  /Aeya\o7rpeireio.  —  Aristotle's  £//«V.  Nicomach.  iv.  2. 


26  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Matthew's  feast  was  thus,  looked  at  from  within,  a  very 
joyous,  innocent,  and  even  edifying  one.  But,  alas  !  looked 
at  from  without,  like  stained  windows,  it  wore  a  different 
aspect :  it  was,  indeed,  nothing  short  of  scandalous.  Certain 
Pharisees  observed  the  company  assemble  or  disperse,  noted 
their  character,  and  made,  after  their  wont,  sinister  reflec- 
tions. Opportunity  offering  itself,  they  asked  the  disciples  of 
Jesus  the  at  once  complimentary  and  censorious  question  : 
"Why  eateth  your  master  with  publicans  and  sinners.'" 
The  interrogants  were  for  the  most  part  local  members  of  the 
Pharisaic  sect,  for  Luke  calls  them  "  tJicir  scribes  and  Phari- 
sees," '  which  implies  that  Capernaum  was  important  enough 
to  be  honored  with  the  presence  of  men  representing  that 
religious  party.  It  is  by  no  means  unlikely,  however,  that 
among  the  unfriendly  spectators  were  some  Pharisees  all  the 
way  from  Jerusalem,  the  seat  of  ecclesiastical  government, 
already  on  the  track  of  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth,  watching 
His  doings,  as  they  watched  those  of  the  Baptist  before  Him. 
The  news  of  Christ's  wondrous,  works  soon  spread  overall 
the  land,  and  attracted  spectators  from  all  quarters  —  from 
Decapolis,  Jerusalem,  Judaea,  and  Peraea,  as  well  as  Galilee  ;  ^ 
and  we  may  be  sure  that  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  of  the 
holy  city  were  not  the  last  to  go  and  see,  for  we  must 
own  they  performed  the  duty  of  religious  espionage  with 
exemplary  diligence. 

The  presence  of  ill-affected  men  belonging  to  the  pharisaic 
order  was  almost  a  standing  feature  in  Christ's  public  minis- 
try. But  it  never  disconcerted  Him.  He  went  calmly  on 
His  way  doing  His  work  ;  and  when  His  conduct  was  called 
in  question,  He  was  ever  ready  with  a  conclusive  answer. 
Among  the  most  striking  of  His  answers  or  apologies  to 
them  who  examined  Him,  were  those  in  which  He  vindicated 
Himself  for  mixing  with  publicans  and  sinners.  They  are 
three  in  number,  spoken  on  as  many  occasions  :  the  first  in 
connection  with  Matthew's  feast ;  the  second  in  the  house 
of  Simon  the  Pharisee  ;3  and  the  third  on  an  occasion  not 
minutely  defined,  when  certain  scribes  and  Pharisees  brought 
against  Him  the  grave  charge,  "  This  man  receiveth  sinners, 
and  eateth  with  them."'*      These  apologies   for  loving   the 

»  Luke  V.  30.  2  Matt.  iv.  25.  3  Luke  vii.  36.  *  Luke  xv. 


Matthew  the  Publican.  27 

unloved  and  the  morally  unlovely  are  full  of  truth  and  grace, 
l^oetry  and  pathos,  and  not  without  a  touch  of  quiet,  quaint 
satire  directed  against  the  sanctimonious  fault-finders.  The 
first  may  be  distinguished  as  the  professional  argument,  and 
is  to  this  effect :  "  I  frequent  the  haunts  of  sinners,  because 
I  am  2i  physiciatt,  and  they  are  sick  and  need  healing.  Where 
should  a  physician  be  but  among  his  patients  .-'  where  often- 
est,  but  among  those  most  grievously  afflicted.^"  The 
second  may  be  described  as  the  political  argument,  its  drift 
being  this  :  "  It  is  good  policy  to  be  the  friend  of  sinners  who 
have  much  to  be  forgiven  ;  for  when  they  are  restored  to  the 
paths  of  virtue  and  piety,  how  great  is  their  love  !  See  that 
penitent  woman,  weeping  for  sorrow  and  also  for  joy,  and 
bathing  her  Saviour's  feet  with  her  tears.  Those  tears  are 
refreshing  to  my  heart,  as  a  spring  of  water  in  the  arid  desert 
of  Pharisaic  frigidity  and  formalism."  The  third  may  be 
denominated  the  argument  from  natural  instinct,  and  runs 
thus  :  "  I  receive  sinners,  and  eat  with  them,  and  seek  by 
these  means  their  moral  restoration,  for  the  same  reason 
which  moves  the  shepherd  to  go  after  a  lost  sheep,  leaving  his 
unstrayed  flock  in  the  wilderness,  viz.  because  it  is  natural  to 
seek  the  lost,  and  to  have  more  joy  in  finding  things  lost  than 
in  possessing  things  which  never  have  been  lost.  Men  who 
understand  not  this  feeling  are  solitary  in  the  universe  ;  for 
angels  in  heaven,  fathers,  housewives,  shepherds,  all  who 
have  human  hearts  on  earth,  understand  it  well,  and  act  on  it 
every  day." 

In  all  these  reasonings  Jesus  argued  with  His  accusers  on 
their  own  premises,  accepting  their  estimate  of  themselves, 
and  of  the  class  with  whom  they  deemed  it  discreditable  to 
associate,  as  righteous  and  sinful  respectively.  But  He  took 
care,  at  the  same  time,  to  let  it  appear  that  His  judgment 
concerning  the  two  parties  did  not  coincide  with  that  of  His 
interrogators.  This  He  did  on  the  occasion  of  Matthew's 
feast,  by  bidding  them  go  study  the  text,  "  I  will  have  mercy, 
and  not  sacrifice  ;"  meaning  by  the  quotation  to  insinuate, 
that  while  very  religious,  the  Pharisees  were  also  very 
inhuman,  full  of  pride,  prejudice,  harshness,  and  hatred  ;  and 
to  proclaim  the  truth,  that  this  character  was  in  God's  sight 
far  more  detestable  than  that  of  those  who  were  addicted  to 


28  The  1  raining  of  the  I  we  he. 

the  coarse  vices  of  the  multitude,  not  to  speak  of  those  who 
were  "sinners"  mainly  in  the  pharisaic  imagination,  and 
within  inverted  commas. 

Our  Lord's  last  words  to  the  persons  who  called  His  con- 
duct in  question  at  this  time  were  not  merely  apologetic,  but 
judicial.  "  I  came  not,"  He  said,  "to  call  the  righteous,  but 
sinners  ;"  '  intimating  a  purpose  to  let  the  self-righteous  alone 
and  to  call  to  repentance  and  to  the  joys  of  the  kingdom 
those  who  were  not  too  self-satisfied  to  care  for  the  benefits 
offered,  and  to  whom  the  gospel  feast  would  be  a  real  enter- 
tainment. The  word,  in  truth,  contained  a  significant  hint 
of  an  approaching  religious  revolution  in  which  the  last 
should  become  first  and  the  first  last  ;  Jewish  outcasts,  Gen- 
tile dogs,  made  partakers  of  the  joys  of  the  kingdom  and  the 
"  righteous  "  shut  out.  It  was  one  of  the  pregnant  sayings 
by  which  Jesus  made  known  to  those  who  could  understand, 
that  His  religion  was  an  universal  one,  a  religion  for  humanity, 
a  gospel  for  mankind,  because  a  gospel  for  sinners.  And  what 
this  saying  declared  in  word,  the  conduct  it  apologized  for 
proclaimed  yet  more  expressively  by  deed.  It  was  an  ominous 
thing  that  loving  sympathy  for  "publicans  and  sinners"  — 
the  pharisaic  instinct  discerned  it  to  be  so,  and  rightly  took 
the  alarm.  It  meant  death  to  privileged  monopolies  of  grace 
and  to  Jewish  pride  and  exclusivism  —  all  men  equal  in  God's 
sight,  and  welcome  to  salvation  on  the  same  terms.  In  fact 
it  was  a  virtual  announcement  of  the  Pauline  programme  of 
an  universalistic  gospel,  which  the  twelve  are  supposed  by  a 
certain  school  of  theologians  to  have  opposed  as  determinedly 
as  the  Pharisees  themselves.  Strange  that  the  men  who  had 
been  with  Jesus  were  so  obtuse  as  not  to  understand,  even  at 
the  last,  what  was  involved  in  their  Master's  fellowship  with 
the  low  and  the  lost !  Was  Buddha  more  fortunate  in  his 
disciples  than  Jesus  in  His  .-*  Buddha  said,  "  My  law  is  a  law 
of  grace  for  all,"  directing  the  saying  immediately  against 
Brahminical  caste  prejudice ;  and  his  followers  understood 
that  it  meant.  Buddhism  a  missionary  religion,  a  religion 
even  for  Sudras,  and  therefore  for  all  mankind ! 

'  ei?  ixfTai'oiav  seems  to  be  genuine  only  in  Luke,  and  the  words  express  only  a  part  of 
Christ's  meaning.  He  called  men  not  merely  to  repentance,  but  to  participation  in  all 
the  blessedness  of  the  kingdom. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    TWELVE. 
Matt.  x.  1-4  ;  Mark  iii.  13-19  ;  Luke  vi.  12-16  ;  Acts  i.  13. 

The  selection  by  Jesus  of  the  twelve  from  the  band  of 
disciples"who  had  gradually  gathered  around  His  person  is  an 
important  landmark  in  the  Gospel  history.  It  divides  the 
ministry  of  our  Lord  into  two  portions,  nearly  equal,  proba- 
Bfy,  as  to  duration,  but  unequal  as  to  the  extent  and  impor- 
tance of  the  work  done  in  each  respectively.  In  the  earlier 
period  Jesus  labored  single-handed  ;  His  miraculous  deeds 
were  confined  for  the  most  part  to  a  limited  area,  and  His 
'teaching  was  in  the  main  of  an  elementary  character.  But 
■by~the  time  when  the  twelve  were  chosen,  the  work  of  the 
kingdom  had  assumed  such  dimensions  as  to  require  organi- 
zation and  division  of  labor ;  and  the  teaching  of  Jesus  was 
beginning  to  be  of  a  deeper  and  more  elaborate  nature,  and 
His  gracious  activities  were  taking  on  ever-widening  range. 

It  is  probable  that  the  selection  of  a  limited  number  to  be 
His  close  and  constant  companions  had  become  a  necessity 
to  Christ,  in  consequence  of  His  very  success  m  gaining 
disciples.  His  followers,  we  imagine,  had  grown  so  numerous 
as  to  be  an  incumbrance  and  an  impediment  to  his  move- 
inehts,  especially  in  the  long  journeys  which  mark  the  later 
part  of  His  ministry.  It  was  impossible  that  all  who  be- 
lieved could  continue  henceforth  to  follow  Him,  in  the  literal 
sense,  whithersoever  He  might  go :  the  greater  number 
could  now  only  be  occasional  followers.  But  it  was  His  wish 
that  certain  selected  men  should  be  with  Him  at  all  times 
and  in  all  places, —  His  travelling  companions  in  all  His 
wanderings,  witnessing  all  His  work,  and  ministering  to 
His  daily  needs.  And  so,  in  the  quaint  words  of  Mark, 
"Jesus  calleth  unto  Him  whom  He  would,  and  they  came 


30  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

unto  Him,  and  He  made  twelve,  that  they  should  be  with 
Him."  ■ 

These  twelve,  however,  as  we  know,  were  to  be  something 
more  than  travelling  companions  or  menial  servants  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  were  to  be,  in  the  mean  time, 
students  of  Christian  doctrine,  and  occasional  fellow-laborers 
in  the  work  of  the  kingdom,  and  eventually  Christ's  chosen 
trained  agents  for  propagating  the  faith  after  He  Himself  had 
left  the  earth.  From  the  time  of  their  being  chosen,  indeed, 
the  twelve  entered  on  a  regular  apprenticeship  for  the  great 
office  of  apostleship,  m.  the  course  of  which  they  were  to 
learn,  in  the  privacy  of  an  intimate  daily  fellowship  with  their 
Master,  what  they  should  be,  do,  believe,  and  teach,  as  His 
witnesses  and  ambassadors  to  the  world.  Henceforth  the 
training  of  these  men  was  to  be  a  constant  and  prominent 
part  of  Christ's  personal  work.  He  was  to  make  it  His 
business  to  tell  them  in  darkness  what  they  should  afterwards 
speak  in  the  daylight,  and  to  whisper  in  their  ear  what  in 
after  years  they  should  preach  upon  the  housetops.^ 

The  time  when  this  election  was  made,  though  not  abso- 
lutely determined,  is  fixed  in  relation  to  certain  leading 
events  in  the  Gospel  history.  John  speaks  of  the  twelve  as 
an  organized  company  at  the  period  of  the  feeding  of  the 
five  thousand,  and  of  the  discourse  on  the  bread  of  life  in 
the  synagogue  of  Capernaum,  delivered  shortly  after  that 
miracle.  From  this  fact  we  learn  that  the  twelve  were  chosen 
at  least  one  year  before  the  crucifixion  ;  for  the  miracle  of 
the  feeding  took  place,  according  to  the  fourth  evangelist, 
shortly  before  a  Passover  season.^  From  the  words  spoken 
by  Jesus  to  the  men  whom  He  had  chosen,  in  justification 
of  His  seeming  doubt  of  their  fidelity  after  the  multitude 
had  deserted  Him,  "  Did  I  not  choose  you  the  twelve,  and 
one  of  you  is  a  devil } "  ^  we  conclude  that  the  choice  was 
then  not  quite  a  recent  event.  The  twelve  had  been  long 
enough  together  to  give  the  false  disciple  opportunity  to 
show  his  real  character. 

'  Mark  iii.  13.  The  verb  e'7roir;<re,  "made,"  is  used  here  in  the  same  sense  as  in  Heb. 
iii.  2,  "who  was  faithful  to  Him  that  made  Him"  (tuI  Troiijo-ai'Ti  aurdi-).  There  it  is  ren- 
dered "  appointed,"  which  the  R.  V.  introduces  here  also. 

2  Matt.  X.   27.  ■*  John  vi.  70,  as  in  R.  V. 

3  John  vi.  4. 


TJic   Tivclve.  3 1 

Turning  now  to  the  synoptical  evangelists,  we  find  them 
fixing  the  position  of  the  election  with  reference  to  two  other 
most  important  events.  Matthew  speaks  for  the  first  time 
of  the  twelve  as  a  distinct  body  in  connection  with  their  viis- 
sion  in  Galilee.  He  does  not,  however,  say  that  they  were 
chosen  immediately  before,  and  with  direct  reference  to,  that 
mission.  He  speaks  rather  as  if  the  apostolic  fraternity  had 
been  previously  in  existence,  his  words  being,  "When  He 
had  called  unto  Him  His  twelve  disciples."  Luke,  on  the 
other  hand,  gives  a  formal  record  of  the  election,  as  a  preface 
to  his  account  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  so  speaking 
as  to  create  the  impression  that  the  one  event  immediately 
preceded  the  other.'  Finally,  Mark's  narrative  confirms  the 
view  suggested  by  these  observations  on  Matthew  and  Luke, 
viz.  that  the  twelve  were  called  just  before  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  was  delivered,  and  some  considerable  time  before 
they  were  sent  forth  on  their  preaching  and  healing  mission. 
There  we  read  :  "Jesus  goeth  up  into  the  mountain  (to  opo<;),^ 
and  calleth  unto  Him  whom  He  would" — the  ascent  re- 
ferred to  evidently  being  that  which  Jesus  made  just  before 
preaching  His  great  discourse.  Mark  continues  :  "And  He 
ordained  twelve,  that  they  should  be  with  Him,  and  that  He 
might  send  them  forth  to  preach,  and  to  have  power  to  heal 
sicknesses  and  to  cast  out  devils."  Here  allusion  is  made  to 
an  intention  on  Christ's  part  to  send  forth  His  disciples  on  a 
mission,  but  the  intention  is  not  represented  as  immediately 
realized.  Nor  can  it  be  said  that  immediate  realization  is 
implied,  though  not  expressed  ;  for  the  evangelist  gives  an 
acc  junt  of  the  mission  as  actually  carried  out  several  chap- 
ters further  on  in  his  Gospel,  commencing  with  the  words, 
"  And  He  calleth  unto  Him  the  twelve,  and  began  to  send 
them  forth."  ^ 

It  may  be  regarded,  then,  as  tolerably  certain,  that  the 
calling  of  the  twelve  was  a  prelude  to  the  preaching  of  the 
great  sermon  on  the  kingdom,  in  the  founding  of  which  they 
were  afterwards  to  take  so  distinguished  a  part.     At  what 

'  Lukevi.  i-?  compared  witli  17,  where  note  that  Luke  represents  the  name  "apostle" 
as  originating  with  Christ :  "  Whom  also  He  named  apostles  "  (ver.  13). 

2  This  expression  is  used  by  all  the  Synoptics.  It  seems  to  signify  a  mountain 
district  rather  than  a  particular  hill. 

3  Mark  vi.  7. 


32  The  Ti^aiiiing  of  the  Twelve. 

precise  period  in  the  ministry  of  our  Lord  the  sermon  itself 
is  to  be  placed,  we  cannot  so  confidently  determine.  Our 
opinion,  however,  is,  that  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was 
delivered  towards  the  close  of  Christ's  first  lengthened  minis- 
try in  Galilee,  during  the  time  which  intervened  between  the 
two  visits  to  Jerusalem  on  festive  occasions  mentioned  in 
the  second  and  fifth  chapters  of  John's  Gospel." 

The  imniber  of  the  apostolic  company  is  significant,  and 
was  doubtless  a  matter  of  choice,  not  less  than  was  the  com- 
position of  the  selected  band.  A  larger  number  of  eligible 
men  could  easily  have  been  found  in  a  circle  of  disciples 
which  afterwards  supplied  not  fewer  than  seventy  auxiliaries 
for  evangelistic  work;^  and  a  smaller  number  might  have 
served  all  the  present  or  prospective  purposes  of  the  apostle- 
ship.  The  number  twelve  was  recommended  by  obvious 
symbolic  reasons.  It  happily  expressed  in  figures  what  Jesus 
claimed  to  be,  and  what  He  had  come  to  do,  and  thus  fur- 
nished a  support  to  the  faith  and  a  stimulus  to  the  devotion 
of  His  followers.  It  significantly  hinted  that  Jesus  was  the 
divine  Messianic  King  of  Israel,  come  to  set  up  the  kingdom 
whose  advent  was  foretold  by  prophets  in  glowing  language, 
suggested  by  the  palmy  days  of  Israel's  history,  when  the 
theocratic  community  existed  in  its  integrity,  and  all  the 
tribes  of  the  chosen  nation  were  united  under  the  royal 
house  of  David.  That  the  number  twelve  was  designed  to 
bear  such  a  mystic  meaning,  we  know  from  Christ's  own 
words  to  the  apostles  on  a  later  occasion,  when,  describing 
to  them  the  rewards  awaiting  them  in  the  kingdom  for  past 
services  and  sacrifices.  He  said,  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  that 
ye  which  have  followed  me,  in  the  regeneration,  when  the 
Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of  His  glory,  ye  also  shall 
sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel."  ^ 

It  is  possible  that  the  apostles  were  only  too  well  aware  of 

'  So  Ebrard,  Gosp.  Hist.     Ewald  places  tlie  election  after  the  feast  of  John  v. 

-  This  mission  of  the  seventy  is  regarded  by  Baiir,  and  others  of  the  same  school,  as 
a  pure  invention  of  the  third  Evangelist's,  meant  to  throw  the  twelve  into  the  sliade,  and 
to  serve  the  cause  of  Pauline  universalism.  This  opinion  is  entirely  arbitrary  ;  but  even 
supposing  we  were  to  concede  the  point,  it  would  still  remain  true,  as  stated  in  the  text, 
that  Christ  could  have  had  more  than  twelve  apostles  had  He  desired. 

■5  Matt.  xix.  28.  Keim  recognizes  the  number  twelve  as  bearing  a  symbolic  meaning, 
as  stated  in  the  text,  against  Sclileiermacher,  who  regarded  it  as  purely  accidental.  — 
Geschichtejesu  von  Nazara,  ii.  304. 


TJie  Twelve.  33 

the  mystic  significance  of  their  number,  and  found  in  it  an 
encouragement  to  the  fond  delusive  hope  that  the  coming 
kingdom  should  be  not  only  a  spiritual  realization  of  the 
promises,  but  a  literal  restoration  of  Israel  to  political  integ- 
rity and  independence.  The  risk  of  such  misapprehension 
was  one  of  the  drawbacks  connected  with  the  particular 
number  twelve,  but  it  was  not  deemed  by  Jesus  a  sufficient 
reason  for  fixing  on  another.  His  method  of  procedure  in 
this,  as  in  all  things,  was  to  abide  by  that  which  in  itself  was 
true  and  right,  and  then  to  correct  misapprehensions  as  they 
arose. 

From  the  number  of  the  apostolic  band,  we  pass  to  the 
persons  composing  it.  Seven  of  the  twelve  —  the  first  seven 
in  the  catalogues  of  Mark  and  Luke,  assuming  the  identity 
of  Bartholomew  and  Nathanael  — are  persons  already  known 
to  us.  With  two  of  the  remaining  five  —  the  first  and  the 
last  —  we  shall  become  well  acquainted  as  we  proceed  in 
the  history.  Thomas  called  Didymus,  or  the  Twin,  will  come 
before  us  as  a~rnair"bT  warm  heart  but  melancholy  tempera- 
ment, ready  to  die  with  his  Lord,  but  slow  to  believe  in  His 
resurrection.  Judas  Iscariot  is  known  to  all  the  world  as  the 
Traitor.  He  appears  for  the  first  time,  in  these  catalogues 
of  the  apostles,  with  the  infamous  title  branded  on  his  brow, 
"Judas  Iscariot,  who  also  betrayed  Him."  The  presence  of 
a  man  capable  of  treachery  among  the  elect  disciples  is  a 
mystery  which  we  shall  not  now  attempt  to  penetrate.  We 
merely  make  this  historical  remark  about  Judas  here,  that 
he  seems  to  have  been  the  only  one  among  the  twelve  who 
was  not  a  Galilean.  He  is  surnamed,  from  his  native  place 
apparently,  the  man  of  Kerioth  ;  and  from  the  Book  of  Joshua 
we  learn  that  there  was  a  town  of  that  name  in  the  southern 
border  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.' 

The  three  names  which  remain  are  exceedingly  obscure. 
On'"grounds  familiar  to  Bible  scholars,  it  has  often  been 
attempted  to  identify  James  of  Alphaeus  with  James  the 
brother  or  kinsman  of  the  Lord.     The  next  on  the  lists  of 


'  Josh.  XV.  24.  .  See  Renan,  Vie  de  Jesus,  p.  i6o  (13th  ed.).  Ewald  {Christus,  p.  398) 
thinks  Kerioth  is  Kartah,inthe  tribe  of  Zebulun  (Josh.  xxi.  34).  If  Judas  was  a  Judaean, 
he  may  have  become  a  discipie  at  the  time  of  Christ'?  visit  to  the  Jordan,  mentioned  in 
Johr  iii.  22. 


34  T^^^<^  T^'aining  of  the  Twelve. 

Matthew  and  Mark  has  been  supposed  by  many  to  have  been 
a  brother  of  this  James,  and  therefore  another  brother  of 
Jesus.  This  opinion  is  based  on  the  fact,  that  in  place  of  the 
Lebbaeus  or  Thaddoeus  of  the  two  first  Gospels,  we  find  in 
Luke's  catalogues  the  name  Judas  "of  James."  The  ellipsis 
in  this  designation  has  been  filled  up  with  the  word  brother, 
and  it  is  assumed  that  the  James  alluded  to  is  James  the  son 
of  Alphaeus.  However  tempting  these  results  may  be,  we 
can  scarcely  regard  them  as  ascertained,  and  must  content 
ourselves  with  stating  that  among  the  twelve  was  a  second 
James,  besides  the  brother  of  John  and  son  of  Zebedee,  and 
also  a  second  Judas,  who  appears  again  as  an  interlocutor  in 
the  farewell  conversation  between  Jesus  and  His  disciples 
on  the  night  before  His  crucifixion,  carefully  distinguished  by 
the  evangelist  from  the  traitor  by  the  parenthetical  remark 
"not  Iscariot."  '  This  Judas,  being  the  same  with  Lebbaeus 
Thaddaeus,  has  been  called  the  three-named  disciple.^ 

The  disciple  whom  we  have  reserved  to  the  last  place,  like 
the  one  who  stands  at  the  head  of  all  the  lists,  was  a^^jraon. 
This  second  Simon  is  as  obscure  as  the  first  is  celebrated, 
for  he  is  nowhere  mentioned  in  the  Gospel  history,  except  in 
the  catalogues  ;  yet,  little  known  as  he  is,  the  epithet  attached 
to  his  name  conveys  a  piece  of  curious  and  interesting 
information.  He  is  called  the  Kananite  (not  Canaanite), 
which  is  a  political,  not  a  geographical  designation,  as  appears 
from  the  Greek  word  substituted  in  the  place  of  this  Hebrew 
one  by  Luke,  who  calls  the  disciple  we  now  speak  of  Simon 
Zelotes  ;  that  is,  in  English,  Simon  the  Zealot.  This  epithet 
Zelotes  connects  Simon  unmistakably  with  the  famous 
party  which  rose  in  rebellion  under  Judas  in  the  days  of  the 
taxing,^  some  twenty  years  before  Christ's  ministry  began, 
Ivh'en  Judaea  and  Samaria  were  brought  under  the  direct 
government  of  Rome,  and  the  census  of  the  population  was 
taken  with  a  view  to  subsequent  taxation.  How  singular  a 
phenomenon  is  this  ex-zealot  among  the  disciples  of  Jesus  ! 
No  two  men  could  differ  more  widely  in  their  spirit,  ends, 

'  John  xiv.  22. 

^  Evvald  {Christits,  p.  399)  thinks  Lebbaeus  and  Judas  different  persons,  and  sup- 
poses that  the  former  had  died  in  Christ's  lifetime,  and  that  Judas  had  been  chosen  in  his 
place. 

^  Acts  V.  37. 


The   Twelve. 


35 


and  means,  than  Judas  of  Galilee  and  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
The  one  was  a  political  malcontent ;  the  other  would  have 
the  conquered  bow  to  the  yoke,  and  give  to  Caesar  Cesar's 
due.  The  former  aimed  at  restoring  the  kingdom  to  Israel, 
adopting  for  his  watchword,  "  We  have  no  Lord  or  Master 
but  God ; "  the  latter  aimed  at  founding  a  kingdom  not 
national,  but  universal,  not  "of  this  world,"  but  purely  spirit- 
ual. The  means  employed  by  the  two  actors  were  as  diverse 
as  their  ends.  One  had  recourse  to  the  carnal  weapons  of 
war,  the  sword  and  the  dagger ;  the  other  relied  solely  on  the 
gentle  but  omnipotent  force  of  truth. 

What  led  Simon  to  leave  Judas  for  Jesus  we  know  not ; 
buf  he  made  a  happy  exchange  for  himself,  as  the  party  he 
forsook  were  destined  in  after  years  to  bring  ruin  on  them- 
selves and  on  their  country  by  their  fanatical,  reckless,  and 
Trnavailing   patriotism.     Though  the    insurrection    of   Judas 

"vva's"crushed,  the  fire  of  discontent  still  smouldered  in  the 
breasts  of  his  adherents  ;  and  at  length  it  burst  out  into  the 
blaze  of  a  new  rebellion,  which  brought  on  a  death-struggle 
with  the  gigantic  power  of  Rome,  and  ended  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Jewish  capital,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  Jewish 
people. 

The    choice   of   this   disciple  -^o   be   an   apostle    supplies 

another  illustration  of  Christ's  disregard  of  prudential  wis- 
dom. An  ex-zealot  was  not  a  safe  man  to  make  an  apostle 
oT^  for  he  might  be  the  means  of  rendering  Jesus  and  His 
followers  objects  of  political  suspicion.  But  the  Author  of 
our  faith  was  willing  to  take  the  risk.  He  expected  to  gain 
many  disciples  from  the  dangerous  classes  as  well  as  from 
the  despised,  and  He  would  have  them,  too,  represented 
among  the  twelve. 

It  gives  one  a  pleasant  surprise  to  think  of  Simon  the 
zealot  and  Matthew  the  publican,  men  coming  from  so  oppo- 
site quarters,  meeting  together  in  close  fellowship  in  the 
littl^band  of  twelve.  In  the  persons  of  these  two  disciples 
extremes  meet  —  the  tax-gatherer  and  the  ta.x-hater  :  the 
unpatriotic  Jew,  who  degraded  himself  by  becoming  a  ser- 

"vaiit  of  the  alien  ruler  ;  and  the  Jewish  patriot,  who  chafed 
under  the  foreign  yoke,  and  sighed  for  emancipation.  This 
union  of  opposites  was  not  accidental,  but  was  designed  by 


o 


6  The  TraJnijig  of  the  Tzvelve. 


Jesus  as  a  prophecy  of  the  future.  He  wished  the  twelve  to 
be  the  church  in  miniature  or  germ  ;  and  therefore  He 
chose  them  so  as  to  intimate  that,  as  among  them  distinc- 
tions of  publican  and  zealot  were  unknown,  so  in  the  church 
of  the  future  there  should  be  neither  Greek  nor  Jew,  circum- 
cision nor  uncircumcision,  bond  nor  free,  but  only  Christ  — 
all  to  each,  and  in  each  of  the  all. 

These  were  the  names  of  the  twelve  as  given  in  the  cata- 
logues. As  to  the  order  in  which  they  are  arranged,  on 
closely  inspecting  the  lists  we  observe  that  they  contain 
three  groups  of  four,  in  each  of  which  the  same  names  are 
always  found,  though  the  order  of  arrangement  varies.  The 
first  group  includes  those  best  known,  the  second  the  next 
best,  and  the  third  those  least  known  of  all,  or,  in  the  case 
of  the  traitor,  known  only  too  well.  Peter,  the  most  promi- 
nent character  among  the  twelve,  stands  at  the  head  of  all 
the  lists,  and  Judas  Iscariot  at  the  foot,  carefully  designated, 
as  already  observed,  the  traitor.  The  apostolic  roll,  taking 
the  order  given  in  Matthew,  and  borrowing  characteristic 
epithets  from  the  Gospel  history  at  large,  is  as  follows  :  — 

FIRST   GROUP. 

Simon  Peter The  man  of  rock. 

Andrew Peter's  brother. 

James  and  )  5  Sons   of  Zebedee,   and   sons  of 

John  > \         thunder. 


SECOND    GROUP. 

Philip The  earnest  inquirer. 

Bartholomew,  or  Nathanael         .        .     The  cjuileless  Israelite. 

Thomas The  melancholy. 

Matthew The  publican  (so  called  by  him- 
self only). 

THIRD    GROUP. 

James  (the  son)  of  Alphaeus  .        .  (James  the  Less  ?     Mark  xv.  40.) 

Lebbseus,  Thaddaeus,  Judas  of  James,  The  three-named  disciple. 

Simon .  The  Zealot. 

Judas,  the  man  of  Kerioth  .        .        .  The  Traitor. 

Such  were  the  men  whom  Jesus  chose  to  be  with  Him 
while  He  was  on  this  earth,  and  to  carry  on  His  work  after 
He   left  it.      Such  were  the    men  whom  the   church  cele- 


The   Tzuelve.  3  7 

brates  as  the  "glorious  company  of  the  apostles."  The 
praise  is  merited  ;  but  the  glory  of  the  twelve  was  not  of 
this  world.  In  a  worldly  point  of  view  they  were  a  very 
insignificant  company  indeed,  —  a  band  of  poor  illiterate 
Galilean  provincials,  utterly  devoid  of  social  consequence^ 
not  likely  to  be  chosen  by  one  having  supreme  regard  to 
prudential  considerations.  Why  did  Jesus  choose  such 
men  .-'  Was  He  guided  by  feelings  of  antagonism  to  those 
possessing  social  advantages,  or  of  partiality  for  men  of  His 
own  class.-*  No;  His  choice  was  made  in  true  wisdom.  If 
He  chose  Galileans  mainly,  it  was  not  from  provincial  preju- 
dice against  those  of  the  south  ;  if,  as  some  think.  He  chose 
two  or  even  four '  of  his  own  kindred,  it  was  not  from  nepo- 
tism ;  if  He  chose  rude,  unlearned,  humble  men,  it  was  not 
because  He  was  animated  by  any  petty  jealousy  of  knowl- 
edge, culture,  or  good  birth.  If  any  rabbi,  rich  man,  or 
ruler  had  been  willing  to  yield  himself  unreservedly  to  the 
service  of  the  kingdom,  no  objection  would  have  been  taken 
to  him  on  account  of  his  acquirements,  possessions,  or  titles. 
The  case  of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  the  pupil  of  Gamaliel,  proves 
the  truth  of  this  statement.  Even  Gamaliel  himself  would 
not  have  been  objected  to,  could  he  have  stooped  to  become 
a  disciple  of  the  unlearned  Nazarene.  But,  alas  !  neither  he 
nor  any  of  his  order  would  condescend  so  far,  and  therefore 
the  despised  One  did  not  get  an  opportunity  of  showing  His 
willingness  to  accept  as  disciples  and  choose  for  apostles 
such  as  they  were. 

The  truth  is,  that  Jesus  was  obliged  to  be  content  with 
fishermen,  and  publicans,  and  quondam  zealots,  for  apostles. 
They  were  the  best  that  could  be  had.  Those  who  deemed 
themselves  better  were  too  proud  to  become  disciples,  and 
thereby  they  excluded  themselves  from  what  all  the  world 
now  sees  to  be  the  high  honor  of  being  the  chosen  princes  of 
the  kingdom.  The  civil  and  religious  aristocracy  boasted 
of  their  unbelief.^  The  citizens  of  Jerusalem  did  feel  for  a 
moment  interested  in  the  zealous  youth  who  had  purged  the 
temple  with  a  whip  of  small  cords  ;  but  their  faith  was  super- 

'  Matthew  or  Levi,  being  a  son  of  Alphaeus,  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  brother  of 
James,  and  Simon  the  Zealot  to  be  the  Simon  mentioned  in  Matt.  xiii.  55. 
^  John  vii.  48. 


38  The   Ti^aining  of  the  Twelve. 

ficial,  and  their  attitude  patronizing,  and  therefore  Jesus  did 
not  commit  Himself  unto  them,  because  He  knew  what  was 
in  them.'  A  few  of  good  position  were  sincere  sympatliizers, 
but  they  were  not  so  decided  in  their  attachment  as  to  be 
eligible  for  apostles.  Nicodemus  was  barely  able  to  speak 
a  timid  apologetic  word  in  Christ's  behalf,  and  Joseph  of 
Arimathea  was  a  disciple  "secretly,"  for  fear  of  the  Jews, 
These  were  hardly  the  persons  to  send  forth  as  missionaries 
of  the  cross  —  men  so  fettered  by  social  ties  and  party  con- 
nections, and  so  enslaved  by  the  fear  of  man.  The  apostles 
of  Christianity  must  be  made  of  sterner  stuff. 

And  so  Jesus  was  obliged  to  fall  back  on  the  rustic,  but 
simple,  sincere,  and  energetic  men  of  Galilee.  And  He  was 
quite  content  with  His  choice,  and  devoutly  thanked  His 
Father  for  giving  Him  even  such  as  they.  Learning,  rank, 
wealth,  refinement,  freely  given  up  to  his  service.  He  would 
not  have  despised  ;  but  He  preferred  devoted  men  who  had 
none  of  these  advantages  to  undevoted  men  who  had  them 
all.  And  with  good  reason  ;  for  it  mattered  little,  except  in 
the  eyes  of  contemporary  prejudice,  what  the  social  position 
or  even  the  previous  history  of  the  twelve  had  been,  pro- 
vided they  were  spiritually  qualified  for  the  work  to  which 
they  were  called.  What  tells  ultimately  is,  not  what  is  with- 
out a  man,  but  what  is  within.  John  Bunyan  was  a  man  of 
low  birth,  low  occupation,  and,  up  till  his  conversion,  of  low 
habits  ;  but  he  was  by  nature  a  man  of  genius,  and  by  grace 
a  man  of  God,  and  he  would  have  made  —  he  was,  in  fact 
—  a  most  effective  apostle. 

But  it  may  be  objected  that  all  the  twelve  were  by  no 
means  gifted  like  Bunyan;  some  of  them,  if  one  may  judge 
from  the  obscurity  which  envelops  their  names,  and  the 
silence  of  history  regarding  them,  having  been  undistin- 
guished either  by  high  endowment  or  by  a  great  career,  and 
in  fact,  to  speak  plainly,  all  but  useless.  As  this  objection 
virtually  impugns  the  wisdom  of  Christ's  choice,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  examine  how  far  it  is  according  to  truth.^  We 
submit  the  following  considerations  with  this  view  :  — 

'  John  ii.  23-25. 

^  Keim  says  that  Jesus  was  in  a  genuinely  human  way  (acht  menschlicJi)  deceived  in 
His  disciples  to  a  certain  extent.  They  turned  out  not  the  men  He  had  hoped.  The 
remark  occurs  in  connection  with  the  Galilean  mission. —  Geschichte  Jesu  von  Nazara, 
ii.  332. 


The  Twelve.  39 

1.  That  some  of  the  apostles  were  comparatively  obscure, 
inferior  men,  cannot  be  denied  ;  but  even  the  obscurest  of 
them  may  have  been  most  useful  as  witnesses  for  Him  with 
whom  they  had  companied  from  the  beginning.  It  does 
not  take  a  great  man  to  make  a  good  witness,  and  to  be 
witnesses  of  Christian  facts  was  the  main  business  of  the 
apostles.  That  even  the  humblest  of  them  rendered  impor- 
tant service  in  that  capacity  we  need  not  doubt,  though 
nothing  is  said  of  them  in  the  apostolic  annals.  It  was  not 
to  be  expected  that  a  history  so  fragmentary  and  so  brief  as 
that  given  by  Luke  should  mention  any  but  the  principal 
actors,  especially  when  we  reflect  how  few  of  the  characters 
that  appear  on  the  stage  at  any  particular  crisis  in  human 
affairs  are  prominently  noticed  even  in  histories  which  go 
elaborately  into  detail.  The  purpose  of  history  is  served  by 
recording  the  words  and  deeds  of  the  representative  men, 
and  many  are  allowed  to  drop  into  oblivion  who  did  nobly  in 
their  day.  The  less  distinguished  members  of  the  apostolic 
band  are  entitled  to  the  benefit  of  this  reflection. 

2.  Three  eminent  men,  or  even  two  (Peter  and  John),  out 
of  twelve,  is  a  good  proportion  ;  there  being  few  societies  in 
which  superior  excellence  bears  such  a  high  ratio  to  respect- 
able mediocrity.  Perhaps  the  number  of  "  Pillars  "  '  was  as 
great  as  was  desirable.  Far  from  regretting  that  all  were 
not  Peters  and  Johns,  it  is  rather  a  matter  to  be  thank- 
ful for,  that  there  were  diversities  of  gifts  among  the  first 
preachers  of  the  gospel.  As  a  general  rule,  it  is  not  good 
when  all  are  leaders.  Little  men  are  needed  as  well  as  great 
men  ;  for  human  nature  is  one-sided,  and  little  men  have  their 
peculiar  virtues  and  gifts,  and  can  do  some  things  better 
than  their  more  celebrated  brethren. 

3.  We  must  remember  how  little  we  know  concerning  any 
of  the  apostles.  It  is  the  fashion  of  biographers  in  our  day, 
writing  for  a  morbidly  or  idly  curious  public,  to  enter  into  the 
minutest  particulars  of  outward  event  or  personal  peculiarity 
regarding  their  heroes.  Of  this  fond  idolatrous  minuteness 
there  is  no  trace  in  the  evangelic  histories.     The  writers  of 

'  This  title  is  given  to  Peter,  James,  and  John  by  Paul  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians 
(ii.  9).  Hence  in  the  Tiibingen  literature  devoted  to  the  maintenance  of  the  conflict- 
theory,  these  three  are  called  the  "  Pillar  Apostles," 


40  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  Gospels  were  not  afflicted  with  the  biographic  mania. 
Moreover,  the  apostles  were  not  their  theme.  Christ  was 
their  hero  ;  and  their  sole  desire  was  to  tell  what  they  knew 
of  Him.  They  gazed  steadfastly  at  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
and  in  His  effulgence  they  lost  sight  of  the  attendant  stars. 
Whether  they  were  stars  of  the  first  magnitude,  or  of  the 
second,  or  of  the  third,  made  little  difference. 


CHAPTER   V. 

HEARING  AND   SEEING. 

Luke  i.  1-4;  Matt.  xiii.  16,  17;  Luke  x.  23,  24;   Matt,  v.-vii.;   Luke  vi.  17-49; 
Matt.  xiii.  1-52  et  parall. ;  Matt.  viii.  16,  17  ;  Mark  iv.  ^3,  34- 

In  the  training  of  the  twelve  for  the  work  of  the  apostle- 
ship,  hearing  and  seeing  the  words  and  works  of  Christ 
necessarily  occupied  an  important  place.  Eye  and  ear  wit- 
nessing of  the  facts  of  an  unparalleled  life  was  an  indispen- 
sable preparation  for  future  witness-bearing.  The  apostles 
could  secure  credence  for  their  wondrous  tale  only  by  being 
able  to  preface  it  with  the  protestation  :  "  That  which  we 
have  seen  and  heard  declare  we  unto  you."  None  would 
believe  their  report,  save  those  who,  at  the  very  least,  were 
satisfied  that  it  emanated  from  men  who  had  been  with  Jesus. 
Hence  the  third  evangelist,  himself  not  an  apostle,  but  only 
a  companion  of  apostles,  presents  his  Gospel  with  all  confi- 
dence to  his  friend  Theophilus  as  a  genuine  history,  and  no 
mere  collection  of  fables,  because  its  contents  were  attested 
by  men  who  "from  the  beginning  were  eye-witnesses  and 
ministers  of  the  Word." 

In  the  early  period  of  their  discipleship  hearing  and  seeing 
seem  to  have  been  the  main  occupation  of  the  twelve.  They 
were  then  like  children  born  into  a  new  world,  whose  first 
and  by  no  means  least  important  course  of  lessons  consists 
in  the  use  of  their  senses  in  observing  the  wonderful  objects 
by  which  they  are  surrounded. 

The  things  which  the  twelve  saw  and  heard  were  wonderful 
enough.  The  great  Actor  in  the  stupendous  drama  was 
careful  to  impress  on  His  followers  the  magnitude  of  their 
privilege.  "  Blessed,"  said  He  to  them  on  one  occasion,  "are 
the  eyes  which  see  the  things  that  ye  see  :  for  I  tell  you,  that 
many  prophets  and  kings  desired  to  see  the  things  which  ye 

41 


42  The  Trahihig  of  the  Twelve. 

see,  and  saw  them  not ;  and  to  hear  the  things  which  ye  hear, 
and  heard  them  not."  '  Yet  certain  generations  of  Israel  had 
seen  very  remarkable  things  :  one  had  seen  the  wonders  of  the 
Exodus,  and  the  sublimities  connected  with  the  lawgiving  at 
Sinai;  another,  the  miracles  wrought  by  Elijah  and  Elisha ; 
and  successive  generations  had  been  privileged  to  listen  to 
the  not  less  wonderful  oracles  of  God,  spoken  by  David, 
Solomon,  Isaiah,  and  the  rest  of  the  prophets.  But  the 
things  witnessed  by  the  twelve  eclipsed  the  wonders  of  all 
bygone  ages ;  for  a  greater  than  Moses,  or  Elijah,  or  David, 
or  Solomon,  or  Isaiah,  was  here,  and  the  promise  to  Nathanael 
was  being  fulfilled.  Heaven  had  been  opened,  and  the  angels 
of  God  —  the  spirits  of  wisdom,  and  power,  and  love  —  were 
ascending  and  descending  on  the  Son  of  man. 

We  may  here  take  a  rapid  survey  of  the  viirabilia  which 
it  was  the  peculiar  privilege  of  the  twelve  to  see  and  hear, 
more  or  less  during  the  whole  period  of  their  discipleship, 
and  specially  just  after  their  election.  These  may  be  com- 
prehended under  two  heads  :  the  Doctrine  of  the  Kingdom, 
and  the  Philanthropic  Work  of  the  Kingdom. 

I.  Before  the  ministry  of  Jesus  commenced.  His  forerunner 
had  appeared  in  the  wilderness  of  Judaea,  preaching,  and 
saying,  "  Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand ; " 
and  some  time  after  their  election  the  twelve  disciples  were 
sent  forth  among  the  towns  and  villages  of  Galilee  to  repeat 
the  Baptist's  message.  But  Jesus  Himself  did  something  more 
than  proclaim  the  advent  of  the  kingdom.  He  expounded  the 
nature  of  the  divine  kingdom,  described  the  character  of  its 
citizens,  and  discriminated  between  genuine  and  spurious 
members  of  the  holy  commonwealth.  This  He  did  partly  in 
what  is  familiarly  called  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  preached 
shortly  after  the  election  of  the  apostles  ;  and  partly  in  certain 
parables  uttered  about  the  same  period.^ 

In  the  great  discourse  delivered  on  the  mountain-top,  the 
qualifications  for  citizenship  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  were 

'  Luke  X.  23,  24.  The  authors  of  the  Revised  Version  have  introduced  many  changes 
in  the  A.  V.  by  stricter  rendering  of  tenses,  and  especially  of  the  aorists,  which  in  the 
old  version  are  frequently  treated  as  perfects.  They  may  have  carried  this  too  far,  but  on 
the  whole  they  have  rendered  good  service  in  this  department. 

^  That  the  election  of  the  twelve  ]3receded  the  utterance  of  the  parables  is  plain  from 
Mark  iv.  10,  "  They  tiiat  were  about  Him  with  the  twelve,  asked  of  Him  the  parable." 


Hearing  a7id  Seeing.  43 

set  forth,  first  positively,  and  then  comparatively.  The 
positive  truth  was  summed  up  in  seven  golden  sentences 
called  the  Beatitudes,  in  which  the  felicity  of  the  kingdom 
was  represented  as  altogether  independent  of  the  outward 
conditions  with  which  worldly  happiness  is  associated.  The 
blessed,  according  to  the  preacher,  were  the  poor,  the  hungry, 
the  mournful,  the  meek,  the  merciful,  the  pure  in  heart,  the 
peaceable,  the  sufferers  for  righteousness'  sake.  Such  were 
blessed  themselves,  and  a  source  of  blessing  to  the  human 
race  :  the  salt  of  the  earth,  the  light  of  the  world  raised 
above  others  in  spirit  and  character,  to  draw  them  upwards, 
and  lead  them  to  glorify  God. 

Next,  with  more  detail,  Jesus  exhibited  the  righteousness 
of  the  kingdom,  and  of  its  true  citizens,  in  contrast  to  that 
which  prevailed.  "  Except  your  righteousness,"  He  went  on 
to  say  with  solemn  emphasis,  "shall  exceed  the  righteousness 
of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  ; "  and  then  He  illustrated  and  enforced 
the  general  proposition  by  a  detailed  description  of  the  coun- 
terfeit in  its  moral  and  religious  aspects  :  in  its  moae  of  inter- 
preting the  moral  law,  and  its  manner  of  performing  the  duties 
of  piety,  such  as  prayer,  alms,  and  fasting.  In  the  one  aspect 
He  characterized  pharisaic  righteousness  as  superficial  and 
technical ;  in  the  other  as  ostentatious,  self-complacent,  and 
censorious.  In  contrast  thereto,  He  described  the  etJiics  of 
the  kingdom  as  a  pure  stream  of  life,  having  charity  for  its 
fountainhead  ;  a  morality  of  the  heart,  not  merely  of  outward 
conduct ;  a  morality  also  broad  and  catholic,  overleaping  all 
arbitrary  barriers  erected  by  legal  pedantry  and  natural 
selfishness.  The  religion  of  the  kingdom  He  set  forth  as 
humble,  retiring,  devoted  in  singleness  of  heart  to  God  and 
things  supernal ;  having  faith  in  God  as  a  benignant  gracious 
Father  for  its  root,  and  contentment,  cheerfulness,  and  free- 
dom from  secular  cares  for  its  fruits  ;  and,  finally,  as  reserved 
in  its  bearing  towards  the  profane,  yet  averse  to  severity  in 
judging,  yea,  to  judging  at  all,  leaving  men  to  be  judged  by 
God. 

The  discourse,  of  which  we  have  given  a  hasty  outline, 
made  a  powerful  impression  on  the  audience.  "The  people," 
we  read,  "  were  astonished  at  His  doctrine ;  for  He  taught 


44  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

them  as  one  having  authority  (the  authority  of  wisdom  and 
truth),  and  not  as  the  scribes,"  who  had  merely  the  authority 
of  office.  It  is  not  probable  that  either  the  multitude  or  the 
twelve  understood  the  sermon  ;  for  it  was  both  deep  and  lofty, 
and  their  minds  were  pre-occupied  with  very  different  ideas  of 
the  coming  kingdom.  Yet  the  drift  of  all  that  had  been  said 
was  clear  and  simple.  The  kingdom  whereof  Jesus  was  both 
King  and  Lawgiver  was  not  to  be  a  kingdom  of  this  world  :  it 
was  not  to  be  here  or  there  in  space,  but  within  the  heart  of 
man  ;  it  was  not  be  the  monopoly  of  any  class  or  nation,  but 
open  to  all  possessed  of  the  requisite  spiritual  endowments  on 
equal  terms.  It  is  nowhere  said,  indeed,  in  the  sermon,  that 
ritual  qualifications,  such  as  circumcision,  were  not  indispen- 
sable for  admission  into  the  kingdom.  But  circumcision  is 
ignored  here,  as  it  was  ignored  thoughout  the  teaching  of 
Jesus.  It  is  treated  as  something  simply  out  of  place,  which 
cannot  be  dove-tailed  into  the  scheme  of  doctrine  set  forth ; 
an  incongruity  the  very  mention  of  which  would  create  a 
sense  of  the  grotesque.  How  truly  it  was  so  any  one  can 
satisfy  himself  by  just  imagining  for  a  moment  that  among 
the  Beatitudes  had  been  found  one  running  thus  :  Blessed 
are  the  circumcised,  for  no  uncircumcised  ones  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  This  significant  silence  con- 
cerning the  seal  of  the  national  covenant  could  not  fail  to 
have  its  effect  on  the  minds  of  the  disciples,  as  a  hint  at 
eventual  antiquation. 

The  weighty  truths  thus  taught  first  in  the  didactic  form 
of  an  ethical  discourse,  Jesus  sought  at  other  times  to  popu- 
larize by  means  of  parables.  In  the  course  of  His  ministry 
He  uttered  many  parabolic  sayings,  the  parable  being  with 
Him  a  favorite  form  of  instruction.  Of  the  thirty  '  parables 
preserved  in  the  Gospels,  the  larger  number  were  of  an 
occasional  character,  and  are  best  understood  when  viewed 
in  connection  with  the  circumstances  which  called  them 
forth.  But  there  is  a  special  group  of  eight  which  appear  to 
have  been  spoken  about  the  same  period,  and  to  have  been 
designed  to  serve  one  object,  viz.  to  exhibit  in  simple  pictures 

*  This  number  is  only  an  approximate  estimate.  The  number  of  the  parables  is 
estimated  differently  by  different  writers,  according  to  their  definition  of  a  parable  and 
method  of  treating  the  collection. 


Hearing  and  Sceiitg.  45 

the  outstanding  features  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  its 
nature  and  progress,  and  in  its  relations  to  diverse  classes  of 
men.  One  of  these,  the  parable  of  the  sower,  apparently  the 
first  spoken,  shows  the  different  reception  given  to  the  word 
of  the  kingdom  by  various  classes  of  hearers,  and  the  varied 
issues  in  their  life.  Two  —  the  parables  of  the  tares  and  of 
the  net  cast  into  the  sea  —  describe  the  mixture  of  good 
and  evil  that  should  exist  in  the  kingdom  till  the  end,  when 
the  grand  final  separation  would  take  place.  Another  pair  of 
short  parables  —  those  of  the  treasure  hid  in  a  field  and 
of  the  precious  pearl  —  set  forth  the  incomparable  impor- 
tance of  the  kingdom,  and  of  citizenship  therein.  Other  two 
—  the  grain  of  mustard  seed,  and  the  leaven  hid  in  three 
measures  of  meal — explain  how  the  kingdom  advances  from 
small  beginnings  to  a  great  ending.  An  eighth  parable, 
found  in  Mark's  Gospel  only,  teaches  that  growth  in  the 
divine  kingdom  proceeds  by  stages,  analogous  to  the  blade, 
the  ear,  and  the  full  corn  in  the  ear,  in  the  growth  of  grain.' 

These  parables,  or  the  greater  number  of  them,  were 
spoken  in  the  hearing  of  a  miscellaneous  audience ;  and 
from  a  reply  of  Jesus  to  a  question  put  by  the  disciples, 
it  might  appear  that  they  were  intended  mainly  for  the 
ignorant  populace.  The  question  was,  "  Why  speakest  Thou 
unto  them  in  parables  .-* "  and  the  reply,  "  Because  it  is  given 
unto  you  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
but  to  them  it  is  not  given  ; "  which  seems  to  imply,  that  in 
the  case  of  the  twelve  such  elementary  views  of  truth  — 
such  children's  sermons,  so  to  speak  —  might  be  dispensed 
with.  Jesus  meant  no  more,  however,  than  that  for  them 
the  parables  were  not  so  important  as  for  common  hearers, 
being  only  one  of  several  means  of  grace  through  which 
they  were  to  become  eventually  scribes  instructed  in  the 
kingdom,  acquainted  with  all  its  mysteries,  and  able,  like  a 
wise  householder,  to  bring  out  of  their  treasures  things  new 
and  old  ;  ^  while  for  the  multitude  the  parables  were  indis- 
pensable, as  affording  their  only  chance  of  getting  a  little 
glimpse  into  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom. 

That  the  twelve  were  not  above  parables  yet  appears  from 
the  fact  that  they  asked  and  received  explanations  of  them 

■  Mark  iv.  26.  *  Matt.  xiii.  52. 


46  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

in  private  from  their  Master :  of  all,  probably,  though  the 
interpretations  of  two  only,  the  parables  of  the  sower  and 
the  tares,  are  preserved  in  the  Gospels.'  They  were  still 
only  children  ;  the  parables  were  pretty  pictures  to  them, 
but  of  what  they  could  not  tell.  Even  after  they  had 
received  private  expositions  of  their  meaning,  they  were 
probably  not  much  wiser  than  before,  though  they  professed 
to  be  satisfied.^  Their  profession  was  doubtless  sincere  : 
they  spake  as  they  felt  ;  but  they  spake  as  children,  they 
understood  as  children,  they  thought  as  children,  and  they 
had  much  to  learn  yet  of  these  divine  mysteries. 

When  the  children  had  grown  to  spiritual  manhood,  and 
fully  understood  these  mysteries,  they  highly  valued  the 
happiness  they  had  enjoyed  in  former  years,  in  being  privi- 
leged to  hear  the  parables  of  Jesus.  We  have  an  interesting 
memorial  of  the  deep  impression  produced  on  their  minds 
by  these  simple  pictures  of  the  kingdom,  in  the  reflection 
with  which  the  first  evangelist  closes  his  account  of  Christ's 
parabolic  teaching.  "All  these  things,"  he  remarks,  "spake 
Jesus  unto  the  multitude  in  parables,  .  .  .  that  it  might  be 
fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying,  I  will  open 
ray  mouth  in  parables,  I  will  utter  things  which  have  been 
kept  secret  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  ^  The  quota- 
tion (from  the  seventy-eighth  Psalm)  significantly  diverges 
both  from  the  Hebrew  original  and  from  the  Septuagint 
version.4  Matthew  has  consciously  adapted  the  words  so  as 
to  express  the  absolute  originality  of  the  teaching  in  which 
he  found  their  fulfilment.  While  the  Psalmist  uttered  dark 
sayings  from  the  ancient  times  of  Israel's  history,  Jesus  in 
the  parables  had  spoken  things  that  had  been  hidden  from 
the  creation.  Nor  was  this  an  exaggeration  on  the  part 
of  the  evangelist.  Even  the  use  of  the  parable  as  a  vehicle 
of  instruction  was  all  but  new,  and  the  truths  expressed  in 
the  parables  were  altogether  new.  They  were  indeed  the 
eternal  verities  of  the  divine  kingdom,  but  till  the  days  of 
Jesus  they  had  remained  unannounced.  Earthly  things  had 
always  been  fit  to  emblem  forth  heavenly  things  ;  but,  till  the 

«  Mark  iv.  34.  ^  jyiatt.  -xiii.  51.  3  Matt.  xiii.  34,  35. 

*   epeufo^ai    KeKpvii/Jieva    anb    icaTa3oAii5    K6<riJ.ov     (Matt.)  ;      DTp~'iip      mTH      H^'^'BX 
(Hebrew);   ij>6iy^onai,  ^po^KijiJ.aTa  oLtt'  apxri'S  (Sept). 


Hearing  and  Seeing.  47 

great  Teacher  appeared,  no  one  had  ever  thought  of  linking 
them  together,  so  that  the  one  should  become  a  mirror  of  the 
other,  revealing  the  deep  things  of  God  to  the  common  eye : 
even  as  no  one  before  Isaac  Newton  had  thought  of  connect- 
ing the  fall  of  an  apple  with  the  revolution  of  the  heavenly- 
bodies,  though  apples  had  fallen  to  the  ground  from  the 
creation  of  the  world. 

2.  The  things  which  the  disciples  had  the  happiness  to 
see  in  connection  with  the  philanthropic  work  of  the  king- 
dom were,  if  possible,  still  more  marvellous  than  those  which 
they  heard  in  Christ's  company.  They  were  eye-witnesses 
of  the  events  which  Jesus  bade  the  messengers  of  John 
report  to  their  master  in  prison  as  unquestionable  evidence 
that  He  was  the  Christ  who  should  come.'  In  their  presence, 
as  spectators,  blind  men  received  their  sight,  lame  men 
walked,  lepers  were  cleansed,  the  deaf  recovered  hearing, 
dead  persons  were  raised  to  life  again.  The  performance  of 
such  wonderful  works  was  for  a  time  Christ's  daily  occupa- 
tion. He  went  about  in  Galilee  and  other  districts,  "doing 
good,  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  devil."  ^ 
The  "miracles"  recorded  in  detail  in  the  Gospels  give  no 
idea  whatever  of  the  extent  to  which  these  wondrous  opera- 
tions were  carried  on.  The  leper  cleansed  on  the  descent 
from  the  mountain,  when  the  great  sermon  was  preached, 
the  palsied  servant  of  the  Roman  centurion  restored  to 
health  and  strength,  Peter's  mother-in-law  cured  of  a  fever, 
the  demoniac  dispossessed  in  the  synagogue  of  Capernaum, 
the  widow's  son  brought  back  to  life  while  he  was  being 
carried  out  to  burial,  —  these,  and  the  like,  are  but  a  few 
samples  selected  out  of  an  innumerable  multitude  of  deeds 
not  less  remarkable,  whether  regarded  as  mere  miracles  or  as 
acts  of  kindness.  The  truth  of  this  statement  appears  from 
paragraphs  of  frequent  recurrence  in  the  Gospels,  which  relate 
not  individual  miracles,  but  an  indefinite  number  of  them 
taken  en  masse.  Of  such  paragraphs  take  as  an  example  the 
following,  cursorily  rehearsing  the  works  done  by  Jesus  at 
the  close  of  a  busy  day  :  "  And  at  even,  when  the  sun  did 
set,  they  brought  unto  Him  all  that  were  diseased,  and  them 
that  were  possessed  with  devils  ;  and  all  the  city  was  gath- 

'  Matt.  xi.  2.  *  Acts  xi.  38. 


48  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

ered  together  at  the  door.  And  He  healed  many  that  were 
sick  of  divers  diseases,  and  cast  out  many  devils."  '  This 
vi^as  what  happened  on  a  single  Sabbath  evening  in  Caper- 
naum, shortly  after  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was  preached ; 
and  such  scenes  appear  to  have  been  common  at  this  time  : 
for  we  read  a  little  farther  on  in  the  same  Gospel,  that 
"Jesus  spake  unto  His  disciples,  that  a  small  ship  should 
wait  on  Him  because  of  the  multitude,  lest  they  should  throng 
Him  ;  for  He  had  healed  many ;  insomuch  that  they  pressed 
upon  Him  for  to  touch  Him,  as  many  as  had  plagues."^ 
And  yet  again  Mark  tells  how  "  they  went  into  an  house,  and 
the  multitude  cometh  together  again,  so  that  they  could  not 
so  much  as  eat  bread."  ^ 

The  inference  suggested  by  such  passages  as  to  the  vast 
extent  of  Christ's  labors  among  the  suffering,  is  borne  out  by 
the  impressions  these  made  on  the  minds  both  of  friends  and 
foes.  The  ill-affected  were  so  struck  by  what  they  saw,  that 
they  found  it  necessary  to  get  up  a  theory  to  account  for  the 
mighty  influence  exerted  by  Jesus  in  curing  physical,  and 
especially  psychical  maladies.  "This  fellow,"  they  said, 
"doth  not  cast  out  devils  but  by  Beelzebub  the  prince  of 
devils."  It  was  a  lame  theory,  as  Jesus  showed  ;  but  it  was 
at  least  conclusive  evidence  that  devils  were  cast  out,  and  in 
great  numbers. 

The  thoughts  of  the  well-affected  concerning  the  works  of 
Jesus  were  various,  but  all  which  have  been  recorded  involve 
a  testimony  to  His  vast  activity  and  extraordinary  zeal. 
Some,  apparently  relatives,  deemed  him  mad,  fancying  that 
enthusiasm  had  disturbed  His  mind,  and  compassionately 
sought  to  save  Him  from  doing  Himself  harm  through  exces- 
sive solicitude  to  do  good  to  others.4  The  sentiments  of  the 
people  who  received  benefit  were  more  devout.  "  They  mar- 
velled, and  glorified  God,  which  had  given  such  power  unto 
men  ;"  ^  and  they  were  naturally  not  inclined  to  criticise  an 
"enthusiasm  of  humanity"  whereof  they  were  themselves 
the  objects. 

The  contemporaneous  impressions  of  the  twelve  concern- 

*  Mark  i.  32-34.  *  Mark  iii.  21. 

2  Mark  iii.  9.  s  Matt.  L\.  8. 

3  Mark  iii.  ig,  20. 


Hearing  and  Seeing.  49 

ing  their  Master's  deeds  are  not  recorded  ;  but  of  their  subse- 
quent reflections  as  apostles  we  have  an  interesting  sample 
in  the  observations  appended  by  the  first  evangelist  to  his 
account  of  the  transactions  of  that  Sabbath  evening  in  Caper- 
naum already  alluded  to.  The  devout  Matthew,  according 
to  his  custom,  saw  in  these  wondrous  works  Old  Testament 
Scripture  fulfilled  ;  and  the  passage  whose  fulfilment  he 
found  therein  was  that  touching  oracle  of  Isaiah,  "  Surely 
He  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows  ; "  which, 
departing  from  the  Septuagint,  he  made  apt  to  his  purpose 
by  rendering,  "Himself  took  our  infirmities  and  bore  our 
sicknesses." '  The  Greek  translators  interpreted  the  text 
as  referring  to  men's  spiritual  maladies  —  their  sins  ;  ^  but 
Matthew  deemed  it  neither  a  misapplication  nor  a  degrada- 
tion of  the  words  to  find  in  them  a  prophecy  of  Messiah's 
deep  sympathy  with  such  as  suffered  from  any  disease, 
whether  spiritual  or  mental,  or  merely  physical.  He  knew 
not  how  better  to  express  the  intense  compassion  of  his  Lord 
towards  all  sufferers,  than  by  representing  Him  in  prophetic 
language  as  taking  their  sicknesses  on  Himself.  Nor  did  he 
wrong  the  prophet's  thought  by  this  application  of  it.  He 
but  laid  the  foundation  of  an  a  fortiori  inference  to  a  still 
more  intense  sympathy  on  the  Saviour's  part  with  the  spirit- 
ually diseased.  For  surely  He  who  so  cared  for  men's  bodies 
would  care  yet  more  for  their  souls.  Surely  it  might  safely 
be  anticipated,  that  He  who  was  so  conspicuous  as  a  healer 
of  bodily  disease  would  become  yet  more  famous  as  a  Saviour 
from  sin. 

The  works  which  the  twelve  were  privileged  to  see  were 
verily  worth  seeing,  and  altogether  worthy  of  the  Messianic 
King.  They  served  to  demonstrate  that  the  King  and  the 
kingdom  were  not  only  coming,  but  come  ;  for  what  could 
more  certainly  betoken  their  presence,  than  mercy  dropping 
like  the  "gentle  rain  from  heaven  upon  the  place  beneath  "  .-• 
John,  indeed,  seems  to  have  thought  otherwise,  when  he  sent 
to  inquire  of  Jesus  if  He  were  the  Christ  who  was  to  come. 
He  desiderated,  we  imagine,  a  work  of  judgment  on  the 
impenitent  as  a  more  reliable  proof  of  Messiah's  advent  than 
these  miracles  of  mercy.     The  prophetic  infirmity  of  queru- 

*   Matt.  viii.  17.  *  oSro;  ras  d/u.apTia{  T\ii.!av  <l>epei. 


50  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

lousness  and  the  prison  air  had  got  the  better  of  his  judg- 
ment and  his  heart,  and  he  was  in  the  truculent  humor  of 
Jonah,  who  was  displeased  with  God,  not  because  He  was  too 
stern,  but  rather  because  He  was  too  gracious,  too  ready  to 
forgive. 

The  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  incapable  now  of 
being  offended  with  these  works  of  our  Lord  on  account  of 
their  mercifulness.  The  offence  in  our  day  lies  in  a  different 
direction.  Men  stumble  at  the  miraculousness  of  the  things 
seen  by  the  disciples  and  recorded  by  the  evangelists.  Mercy, 
say  they,  is  God-like,  but  miracles  are  impossible ;  and  they 
think  they  do  well  to  be  sceptical.  An  exception  is  made, 
indeed,  in  favor  of  some  of  the  healing  miracles,  because  it  is 
not  deemed  impossible  that  they  might  fall  within  the  course 
of  nature,  and  so  cease  to  belong  to  the  category  of  the 
miraculous.  "Moral  therapeutics"  might  account  for  them 
—  a  department  of  medical  science  which  Mr.  Matthew 
Arnold  thinks  has  not  been  at  all  sufficiently  studied  yet' 
All  other  miracles  besides  those  wrought  by  moral  thera- 
peutics are  pronounced  fabulous.  But  why  not  extend  the 
dominion  of  the  moral  over  the  physical,  and  say  without 
qualification  :  Mercy  is  God-like,  therefore  such  works  as 
those  wrought  by  Jesus  were  matters  of  course  .^  So  they 
appeared  to  the  writers  of  the  Gospels.  What  they  wondered 
at  was  not  the  supernaturalness  of  Christ's  healing  opera- 
tions, but  the  unfathomable  depth  of  divine  compassion  which 
they  revealed.  There  is  no  trace  of  the  love  of  the  marvel- 
lous either  in  the  Gospels  or  in  the  Epistles.  The  disciples 
may  have  experienced  such  a  feeling  when  the  era  of  wonders 
first  burst  on  their  astonished  view,  but  they  had  lost  it 
entirely  by  the  time  the  New  Testament  books  began  to  be 
written.^  Throughout  the  New  Testament  miracles  are 
spoken  of  in  a  sober,  almost  matter-of-fact,  tone.  How  is 
this  to  be  explained  .^  The  explanation  is  that  the  apostles 
had  seen  too  many  miracles  while  with  Jesus  to  be  excited 
about  them.     Their  sense  of  wonder  had  been  deadened  by 

'  Literature  and  Dogma,  p.  143,  ed.  4. 

2  Isaac  Taylor,  in  The  Restoration  of  Belief,  founds  on  this  fact  an  argument  for  the 
reality  of  miracles,  contending  that  the  calm,  matter-of-fact  tone  in  which  miracles  are 
spoken  of  in  the  Epistles  can  be  accounted  for  only  by  their  being  a  great  outstanding 
fact  of  that  age  (vide  pp.  128-211.) 


Hearing  and  Seeing.  51 

being  sated.  But  though  they  ceased  to  marvel  at  the  power 
of  their  Lord,  they  never  ceased  to  wonder  at  His  grace. 
The  love  of  Christ  remained  for  them  throusfhout  life  a  thins: 
passing  knowledge ;  and  the  longer  they  lived,  the  more 
cordially  did  they  acknowledge  the  truth  of  their  Master's 
words  :  "  Blessed  are  the  eyes  which  see  the  things  that  ye 
see." 


CHAPTER   VI. 

LESSONS    ON    PRAYER. 
Matt.  vi.  5-13,  vii.  7-11 ;  Luke  xi.  1-13,  xvili.  1-5. 

It  would  have  been  matter  for  surprise  if,  among  the 
manifold  subjects  on  which  Jesus  gave  instruction  to  His 
disciples,  prayer  had  not  occupied  a  prominent  place.  Prayer 
is  a  necessity  of  spiritual  life,  and  all  who  earnestly  try  to 
pray  soon  feel  the  need  of  teaching  how  to  do  it.  And 
what  theme  more  likely  to  engage  the  thoughts  of  a  Master 
who  was  Himself  emphatically  a  man  of  prayer,  spending 
occasionally  whole  nights  in  prayerful  communion  with  His 
heavenly  Father .'' ' 

We  find,  accordingly,  that  prayer  was  a  subject  on  which 
Jesus  often  spoke  in  the  hearing  of  His  disciples.  In  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  for  example,  He  devoted  a  paragraph 
to  that  topic,  in  which  He  cautioned  His  hearers  against 
pharisaic  ostentation  and  heathenish  repetition,  and  recited  a 
form  of  devotion  as  a  model  of  simplicity,  comprehensiveness, 
and  brevity.2  At  other  times  He  directed  attention  to  the 
necessity,  in  order  to  acceptable  and  prevailing  prayer,  of 
perseverance,^  concord,'*  strong  faith, ^  and  large  expectation.^ 

The  passage  cited  from  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Luke's 
Gospel  gives  an  account  of  what  may  be  regarded  as  the  most 
complete  and  comprehensive  of  all  the  lessons  communicated 
by  Jesus  to  His  disciples  on  the  important  subject  to  which 
it  relates.  The  circumstances  in  which  this  lesson  was  given 
are  interesting.  The  lesson  on  prayer  was  itself  an  answer 
to  prayer.     A  disciple,  in  all  probability  one  of  the  twelve,^ 

'  Mark  i.  35  ;  Luke  vi.  12  ;  Matt.  xiv.  23.  *  Matt,  xviii.  19. 

^  Matt.  vi.  5-13.  s  Matt.  xxi.  22. 

3  Luke  xi.  1-13,  xviii.  1-5.  *  John  xvi.  23,  24. 

7  The  twelve  are  not  named;  but  the  lesson  must,  from  its  nature,  have  been  given  to 
a  close  circle  of  disciples. 

52 


Lessons  on  Prayer.  53 

after  hearing  Jesus  pray,  made  the  request :  "  Lord,  teach  us 
to  pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples."  The  request  and 
its  occasion  taken  together  convey  to  us  incidentally  two 
pieces  of  information.  From  the  latter  we  learn  that  Jesus, 
besides  praying  much  alone,  also  prayed  in  company  with  His 
disciples,  practising  family  prayer  as  the  head  of  a  household, 
as  well  as  secret  prayer  in  personal  fellowship  with  God  His 
Father.  From  the  former  we  learn  that  the  social  prayers 
of  Jesus  were  most  impressive.  Disciples  hearing  them  were 
made  painfully  conscious  of  their  own  incapacity,  and  after 
the  Amen  were  ready  instinctively  to  proffer  the  request, 
"  Lord,  teach  us  to  pray,"  as  if  ashamed  any  more  to  attempt 
the  exercise  in  their  own  feeble,  vague,  stammering  words. 

When  this  lesson  was  given  we  know  not,  for  Luke  intro- 
duces his  narrative  of  it  in  the  most  indefinite  manner,  with- 
out noting  either  time  or  place.  The  reference  to  John  in 
the  past  tense  might  seem  to  indicate  a  date  subsequent  to 
his  death  ;  but  the  mode  of  expression  would  be  sufficiently 
explained  by  the  supposition  that  the  disciple  who  made  the 
request  had  previously  been  a  disciple  of  the  Baptist.'  Nor 
can  any  certain  inference  be  drawn  from  the  contents  of  the 
lesson.  It  is  a  lesson  which  might  have  been  given  to  the 
twelve  at  any  time  during  their  disciplehood,  so  far  as  their 
spiritual  necessities  were  concerned.  It  is  a  lesson  for  chil- 
dren, for  spiritual  minors,  for  Christians  in  the  crude  stage  of 
the  divine  life,  afflicted  with  confusion  of  mind,  dumbness, 
dejection,  unable  to  pray  for  want  of  clear  thought,  apt  words, 
and  above  all,  of  faith  that  knows  how  to  wait  in  hope  ;  and 
it  meets  the  wants  of  such  by  suggesting  topics,  supplying 
forms  of  language,  and  furnishing  their  weak  faith  with  the 
props  of  cogent  arguments  for  perseverance.  Now  such  was 
the  state  of  the  twelve  during  all  the  time  they  were  with 
Jesus  ;  till  He  ascended  to  heaven,  and  power  descended  from 
heaven  on  them,  bringing  with  it  a  loosed  tongue  and  an 
enlarged  heart.  During  the  whole  period  of  their  disciple- 
ship,  they  needed  prompting  in  prayer  such  as  a  mother  gives 
her  child,  and  exhortations  to  perseverance  in  the  habit  of 
praying,  even  as  do  the  humblest  followers  of  Christ.     Far 

'  The  request,  in  that  case,  might  be  pharaphrased  :  "  Lord,  teach  (Thou  also)  us  to 
pray,  as  John  taught  us  when  we  were  his  disciples." 


54  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

from  being  exempt  from   such  infirmities,  the  twelve  may 

even  have  experienced  them  in  a  superlative  degree.     The 

heights   correspond  to   the    depths   in  religious  experience. 

'  Men  who  are  destined  to  be  apostles  must,  as  disciples,  know 

fi  more  than  most  of  the  chaotic,  speechless  condition,  and  of 

[■  the   great,  irksome,  but  most   salutary  business   of  Waiting 

on  God  for  light,  and  truth,  and  grace,  earnestly  desired  but 

long  withheld. 

It  was  well  for  the  church  that  her  first  ministers  needed 
this  lesson  on  prayer;  for  the  time  comes  in  the  case  of 
most,  if  not  all,  who  are  spiritually  earnest,  when  its  teaching 
is  very  seasonable.  In  the  spring  of  the  divine  life,  the 
beautiful  blossom-time  of  piety,  Christians  may  be  able  to 
pray  with  fluency  and  fervor,  unembarrassed  by  want  of  words, 
thoughts,  and  feelings  of  a  certain  kind.  But  that  happy 
stage  soon  passes,  and  is  succeeded  by  one  in  which  prayer 
often  becomes  a  helpless  struggle,  an  inarticulate  groan,  a 
silent,  distressed,  despondent  waiting  on  God,  on  the  part  of 
men  who  are  tempted  to  doubt  whether  God  be  indeed  the 
hearer  of  prayer,  whether  prayer  be  not  altogether  idle  and 
useless.  The  three  wants  contemplated  and  provided  for  in 
this  lesson  —  the  want  of  ideas,  of  words,  and  of  faith  —  are 
as  common  as  they  are  grievous.  How  long  it  takes  most 
to  fill  even  the  simple  petitions  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  with 
definite  meanings!  the  second  petition,  e.g.,  "Thy  kingdom 
come,"  which  can  be  presented  with  perfect  intelligence  only 
by  such  as  have  formed  for  themselves  a  clear  conception  of 
the  ideal  spiritual  republic  or  commonwealth.  How  difficult, 
and  therefore  how  rare,  to  find  out  acceptable  words  for  pre- 
cious thoughts  slowly  reached  !  How  many,  who  have  never 
got  any  thing  on  which  their  hearts  were  set  without  needing 
to  ask  for  it  often,  and  to  wait  for  it  long  (no  uncommon 
experience),  have  been  tempted  by  the  delay  to  give  up  ask- 
ing in  despair !  And  no  wonder ;  for  delay  is  hard  to  bear 
in  all  cases,  especially  in  connection  with  spiritual  blessings, 
which  are  in  fact,  and  are  by  Christ  here  assumed  to  be,  the 
principal  object  of  a  Christian  man's  desires.  Devout  souls 
would  not  be  utterly  confounded  by  delay,  or  even  refusal,  in 
connection  with  mere  temporal  goods  ;  for  they  know  that 
such  things  as  health,  wealth,  wife,  children,  home,  position, 


Lessons  071  Prayer.  55 

are  not  unconditionally  good,  and  that  it  may  be  well  some- 
times not  to  obtain  them,  or  not  easily  and  too  soon.  But  it 
is  most  confounding  to  desire  with  all  one's  heart  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  yet  seem  to  be  denied  the  priceless  boon  ;  to  pray 
for  light,  and  to  get  instead  deeper  darkness  ;  for  faith,  and 
to  be  tormented  with  doubts  which  shake  cherished  convic- 
tions to  their  foundations  ;  for  sanctity,  and  to  have  the  mud 
of  corruption  stirred  up  by  temptation  from  the  bottom  of 
the  well  of  eternal  life  in  the  heart.  Yet  all  this,  as  every 
experienced  Christian  knows,  is  part  of  the  discipline  through 
which  scholars  in  Christ's  school  have  to  pass  ere  the  desire 
of  their  heart  be  fulfilled.' 

The  lesson  on  prayer  taught  by  Christ,  in  answer  to 
request,  consists  of  two  parts,  in  one  of  which  thoughts  and 
words  are  put  into  the  mouths  of  immature  disciples,  while 
the  other  provides  aids  to  faith  in  God  as  the  answerer  of 
prayer.  There  is  first  a  form  of  prayer,  and  then  an  argu- 
ment enforcing  perseverance  in  prayer. 

The  form  of  prayer  commonly  called  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
which  appears  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  as  a  sample  of 
the  right  kind  of  prayer,  is  given  here  as  a  summary  of  the 
general  heads  under  which  all  special  petitions  may  be  com- 
prehended. We  may  call  this  form  the  alphabet  of  all  possi- 
ble prayer.  It  embraces  the  elements  of  all  spiritual  desire, 
summed  up  in  a  few  choice  sentences,  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  may  not  be  able  to  bring  their  struggling  aspirations  to 
birth  in  articulate  language.  It  contains  in  all  six  petitions, 
of  which  three  —  the  first  three,  as  was  meet  —  refer  to 
God's  glory,  and  the  remaining  three  to  man's  good.  We 
are  taught  to  pray,  first  for  the  advent  of  the  divine  kingdom, 
in  the  form  of  universal  reverence  for  the  divine  name,  and 
universal  obedience  to  the  divine  will  ;  and  then,  in  the 
second  place,  for  daily  bread,  pardon,  and  protection  from 
evil  for  ourselves.  The  whole  is  addressed  to  God  as  Father, 
and  is  supposed  to  proceed  from  such  as  realize  their  fellow- 
ship one  with  another  as  members  of  a  divine  family,  and 
therefore  say,  "Our  Father."     The  prayer  does  not  end,  as 

'  Readers  may  be  reminded  here  of  the  well-known  hymn  of  Newton,  beginning  — 

"  I  asked  the  Lord  that  I  might  grow 
In  faith,  and  love,  and  every  grace."  —  (No.  25,  F.  C.  Hymn-Book.) 


56  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

our  prayers  now  commonly  do,  with  the  formula,  "for  Christ's 
sake  ; "  nor  could  it,  consistently  with  the  supposition  that 
it  proceeded  from  Jesus.  No  prayer  given  by  Him  for  the 
present  use  of  His  disciples,  before  His  death,  could  have 
such  an  ending,  because  the  plea  it  contains  was  not  intelli- 
gible to  them  previous  to  that  event.  The  twelve  did  not 
yet  know  what  Christ's  sake  {sachc)  meant,  nor  would  they 
till  after  their  Lord  had  ascended,  and  the  Spirit  had 
descended  and  revealed  to  them  the  true  meaning  of  the 
facts  of  Christ's  earthly  history.  Hence  we  find  Jesus,  on 
the  eve  of  His  passion,  telling  His  disciples  that  up  to  that 
time  they  had  asked  nothing  in  His  name,  and  representing 
the  use  of  His  name  as  a  plea  to  be  heard,  as  one  of  the 
privileges  awaiting  them  in  the  future.  "  Hitherto,"  He 
said,  "  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name  ;  ask,  and  ye  shall 
receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full." '  And  in  another  part  of 
His  discourse  :  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that 
will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son."  ^ 

To  what  extent  the  disciples  afterwards  made  use  of  this 
beautifully  simple  yet  profoundly  significant  form,  we  do  not 
know  ;  but  it  may  be  assumed  that  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
repeating  it  as  the  disciples  of  the  Baptist  might  repeat  the 
forms  taught  them  by  tJieir  master.  There  is,  however,  no 
reason  to  think  that  the  "  Lord's  Prayer,"  though  of  perma- 
nent value  as  a  part  of  Christ's  teaching,  was  designed  to  be 
a  stereotyped,  binding  method  of  addressing  the  Father  in 
heaven.  It  was  meant  to  be  an  aid  to  inexperienced  disci- 
ples, not  a  rule  imposed  upon  apostles.^  Even  after  they  had 
attained  to  spiritual  maturity,  the  twelve  might  use  this  form 
if  they  pleased,  and  possibly  they  did  occasionally  use  it ;  but 
Jesus  expected  that  by  the  time  they  came  to  be  teachers  in 
the  church  they  should  have  outgrown  the  need  of  it  as  an 
aid  to  devotion.  Filled  with  the  Spirit,  enlarged  in  heart, 
mature  in  spiritual  understanding,  they  should  then  be  able 
to  pray  as  their  Lord  had  prayed  when  He  was  with  them  ; 
and  while  the  six  petitions  of  the  model  prayer  would  still 

'  John  xvi.  24. 

'  John  xiv.  13. 

3  Jeremy  Taylor,  in  his  Apology  for  Authorized  and  Set  Forms  of  Liturgy,  makes  no 
distinction  between  disciples  and  apostles.  When  the  distinction  is  attended  to,  much 
of  his  argument  falls  to  the  ground.     Vid.  §§  86-112. 


Lessons  on  Prayer.  57 

enter  into  all  their  supplications  at  the  throne  of  grace,  they 
would  do  so  only  as  the  alphabet  of  a  language  enters  into 
the  most  extended  and  eloquent  utterances  of  a  speaker,  who 
never  thinks  of  the  letters  of  which  the  words  he  utters  are 
composed.' 

In  maintaining  the  provisional,  pro  tempore  character  of 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  so  far  as  the  twelve  were  concerned,  we 
lay  no  stress  on  the  fact  already  adverted  to,  that  it  does 
not  end  with  the  phrase,  "for  Christ's  sake."  That  defect 
could  easily  be  supplied  afterwards  mentally  or  orally,  and 
therefore  was  no  valid  reason  for  disuse.  The  same  remark 
applies  to  our  use  of  the  prayer  in  question.  To  allow  this 
form  to  fall  into  desuetude  merely  because  the  customary 
concluding  plea  is  wanting,  is  as  weak  on  one  side  as  the  too 
frequent  repetition  of  it  is  on  the  other.  The  Lord's  Prayer 
is  neither  a  piece  of  Deism  unworthy  of  a  Christian,  nor  a 
magic  charm  like  the  "  Pater  noster  "  of  Roman  Catholic 
devotion.  The  most  advanced  believer  will  often  find  relief 
and  rest  to  his  spirit  in  falling  back  on  its  simple,  sublime 
sentences,  while  mentally  realizing  the  manifold  particulars 
which  each  of  them  includes  ;  and  he  is  but  a  tyro  in  the  art 
of  praying,  and  in  the  divine  life  generally,  whose  devotions 
consist  exclusively,  or  even  mainly,  in  repeating  the  words 
which  Jesus  put  into  the  mouths  of  immature  disciples. 

The  view  now  advocated  regarding  the  purpose  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer  is  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  Christ's  whole 
teaching.  Liturgical  forms  and  religious  methodism  in 
general  were  much  more  congenial  to  the  strict  ascetic  school 
of  the  Baptist  than  to  the  free  school  of  Jesus.  Our  Lord 
evidently  attached  little  importance  to  forms  of  prayer,  any 
more  than  to  fixed  periodic  fasts,  else  He  would  not  have 
waited  till  He  was  asked  for  a  form,  but  would  have  made 
systematic  provision  for  the  wants  of  His  followers,  even  as 
the  Baptist  did,  by,  so  to  speak,  compiling  a  book  of  devotion 
or  composing  a  liturgy.  It  is  evident,  even  from  the  present 
instructions  on  the  subject  of  praying,  that  Jesus  considered 

'  Keim  takes  the  same  view :  he  thinks  the  Micstergebet  was  not  meant  to  be  an  All- 
tagsgebet,  and  in  proof  adduces  the  facts  that  no  trace  of  its  use  appears  in  the  history 
of  Christ's  own  life,  in  the  times  of  the  Jerusalem  Church,  in  the  recollections  of  the 
Apostle  Paul,  and  that  only  in  the  second  century  it  began  to  be  the  object  of  a  regular 
"  ja  mechanisch-katholischen  "  use.  —  Jesu  von  Nazara,  ii.  280. 


58  The  Trainittg  of  the   Twelve. 

the  form  He  supplied  of  quite  subordinate  importance  :  a 
mere  temporary  remedy  for  a  minor  evil,  the  want  of  utter- 
ance, till  the  greater  evil,  the  want  of  faith,  should  be  cured  ; 
for  the  larger  portion  of  the  lesson  is  devoted  to  the  purpose 
of  supplying  an  antidote  to  unbelief.' 

The  second  part  of  this  lesson  on  prayer  is  intended  to 
convey  the    same   moral   as   that  which    is   prefixed   to  the 

'  From  the  design  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  as  now  explained  we  may  determine  the 
proper  place  and  use  of  all  fixed  forms  of  devotion.  Liturgical  forms  are  for  private 
rather  than  for  public  use ;  for  those  who  are  in  the  dumb,  arid  stage  of  the  spiritual  life, 
rather  than  for  those  who  have  attained  the  power  and  utterance  of  spiritual  maturity. 
To  the  private  use  of  such  forms  by  persons  who  desire  to  pray,  yet  cannot  do  it,  no 
reasonable  objection  can  be  taken.  Advantage  justifies  use.  The  less  experienced  Chris- 
tian may  ask  the  more  experienced  to  teach  him  to  pray,  and  the  more  experienced  may 
reply,  "  After  this  manner  pray  ye."  If  we  may  read  and  repeat  the  sacred  songs  of 
Christian  poets  to  find  expression  for  emotions  which  are  common  to  us  and  them,  but 
which  we  cannot,  like  them,  adequately  express,  why  may  we  not  read  and  repeat  the 
prayers  of  the  samts  for  a  similar  purpose?  The  superficial,  who  have  not  earnestness 
and  sincerity  enough  to  know  what  it  is  to  stammer,  may  despise  such  aids  as  suited  only 
for  children  ;  and  those  who  are  yet  in  the  first  flush  of  religious  fervor  may  turn  away 
from  written  forms  as  cold  and  dead,  however  classical.  Well,  let  all  do  without  such 
aids  who  can  ;  only  the  time  may  come,  even  for  the  fervent,  when,  forsaken  of  emotion, 
deficient  in  experience,  discouraged  by  failure,  disappointed  in  ardent  youthful  hopes, 
tormented  by  speculative  doubts  concerning  the  utiUty  and  the  reasonableness  of  prayer 
coming  over  the  soul  like  cliill  east  winds  in  the  winter  of  its  religious  history,  they  may 
be  very  glad  to  read  over  forms  of  devotion  which,  by  their  simplicity  and  dignity,  serve 
to  inspire  a  sense  of  reality,  and  to  produce  a  soothing,  sedative  effect  on  their  diseased, 
restless  spirits.  For  all  in  such  a  plight,  we,  having  respect  to  the  example  of  Christ, 
are  entitled  to  plead  that  they  shall  not  be  required  to  remain  prayerless  because  they 
cannot  for  the  time  pray  without  book. 

But  when  we  pass  from  the  closet  to  the  church,  the  case  is  altered.  There  we  ought 
to  find  pastors  capable  of  doing,  each  one  for  his  fellow-worshippers,  what  Christ  did  for 
His  disciples,  and  of  praying  with  the  freedom  and  force  to  which  the  disciples  them- 
selves afterv/ards  attained.  It  may  be  asserted,  indeed,  that  this,  though  the  desirable,  is 
not  the  actual  state  of  matters.  A  recent  writer,  in  advocating  the  introduction  of  written 
forms  of  prayer  into  the  Presbyterian  Church,  says :  "  I  feel  persuaded  that  a  verbatim 
report  of  all  the  public  prayers  uttered  in  Scotland  any  one  Sunday  in  the  year  would 
settle  the  question  forever  in  the  mind  of  every  person  who  was  capable  of  forming  a 
rational  judgment  on  such  a  matter."  *  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  is  an  exaggerated 
view  of  existing  ministerial  incapacity ;  but  even  granting  its  accuracy,  it  is  a  fair  ques- 
tion whether  the  remedy  proposed  would  not  be  worse  than  the  evil,  and  the  gain  in 
propriety  more  than  counterbalanced  by  a  loss  in  the  more  important  quality  of  fervor. 
This  much  we  may  say,  even  if  not  disposed  to  take  up  high  ground  of  principle  in 
opposition  to  liturgical  forms,  but  rather  to  concur  in  the  moderate  sentiments  of  Richard 
Baxter,  when  he  says  :  "  I  cannot  be  of  their  opinion  who  think  God  will  not  accept  him 
that  praycth  by  the  common  Prayer-book,  and  that  such  forms  are  a  seU"  invented  worship, 
which  God  rejecteth  ;  nor  yet  can  I  be  of  their  mind  that  say  the  like  of  extemporary 
prayers."  t  In  Baxter's  time  religious  controversy  ran  very  high,  and  opposed  view? 
were  stated  in  extreme  form.  The  Ciuirchman  derided  the  extempore  effusions  of  tha 
Puritan  ;  the  Puritan  went  so  far  in  his  opposition  to  liturgical  prayer  as  even  to  maintain 
that  the  Lord's  Prayer  itself  should  never  be  repeated.     Baxter,  not  being  a  partisan, 

*   The  Reform  0/  the  Church  of  Scotland,  by  Robert  Lee,  D.D.,  p.  76. 
\  Baxter's  Life,  from  his  own  original  MS.,  lib.  i.  part  i.  §  213. 


Lessons  on  Prayer.  59 

parable  of  the  unjust  judge —  "that  men  ought  always  to  pray, 
and  not  to  faint."  The  supposed  cause  of  fainting  is  also 
the  same,  even  delay  on  the  part  of  God  in  answering  our 
prayers.  This  is  not,  indeed,  made  so  obvious  in  the  earlier 
lesson  as  in  the  later.  The  parable  of  the  ungenerous 
neighbor  is  not  adapted  to  convey  the  idea  of  long  delay ; 
for  the  favor  asked,  if  granted  at  all,  must  be  granted  in  a 

but  a  lover  of  truth,  sympathized  with  neither  party,  but  regarded  the  question  at  issue 
as  one  of  policy  rather  than  of  principle,  to  be  settled  not  by  abstract  reasoning,  but  by  a 
calm  consideration  of  what  on  the  whole  was  most  conducive  to  edification  ;  in  which 
point  of  view  his  judgment  and  his  practice  were  both  on  the  side  of  extempore  prayer. 

Looking  at  the  question,  with  Baxter,  as  one  of  policy,  we  are  fully  persuaded  that 
the  existing  practice  of  Presbyterian  and  other  churches  can  be  justified  on  such  good 
grounds  as  should  make  them  contented,  to  say  the  least,  with  their  own  way,  and  indis- 
posed to  imitate  those  whose  way  is  different  in  this  matter.  The  ministers  of  religion, 
like  the  apostles,  ought  to  be  able  to  dispense  with  liturgical  forms  ;  and  the  best  way  to 
secure  that  they  shall  possess  such  ability,  is  to  throw  them  on  their  own  resources,  and 
on  God,  and  so  convert  the  ideal  into  a  requirement  applicable  to  all,  making  no  provision 
for  exceptions.  The  full  benefit  of  a  system  cannot  be  obtained  unless  it  be  rigidly 
enforced  ;  and  while  such  enforcement  may  involve  occasional  disadvantages,  the  relaxa- 
tion of  the  rule  would  probably  produce  greater  damage  to  the  church.  .Allowance  made 
for  timidity,  inexperience,  or  extraordinary  incapacity,  would  be  abused  by  the  indolent 
and  the  careless  ;  and  many  would  remain  permanently  in  a  state  similar  to  that  of  the 
disciples,  who,  if  compelled  to  stir  up  the  gift  of  God  which  is  in  them,  or  to  seek  earnestly 
gifts  and  graces  not  possessed,  might  ere  long  attain  to  apostolic  freedom  and  power. 
The  same  remarks  might  be  applied  to  preaching.  In  individual  instances  congregations 
might  benefit  by  the  preacher  being  allowed  to  use  foreign  materials  of  instruction  ;  but 
imder  such  a  permission,  how  many  would  content  themselves  with  reading  sermons  out 
of  books,  or  from  manuscripts  purchased  at  so  much  per  dozen,  who,  under  a  system 
aiming  at  turning  to  the  utmost  account  individual  talent,  and  therefore  requiring  all 
teachers  of  truth  to  give  their  hearers  the  benefit  of  their  own  thoughts,  would  through 
practice  attain  to  a  fair  measure  of  preaching  power. 

On  the  whole,  therefore,  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  its 
existing  system  of  public  worship,  whatever  reason  there  may  be  for  dissatisfaction  with 
the  existing  state  of  worship  in  particular  instances.  The  ideal  is  good,  however  far 
short  the  reality  may  come  of  it.  The  aim  and  effect  of  the  liturgical  system  is  to  make 
the  mass  of  worshippers  as  independent  as  possible  of  the  individual  minister ;  the  aim, 
if  not  the  effect  of  our  system,  is  to  make  individual  ministers  as  valuable  as  possible  to 
the  worshippers,  for  their  instruction  and  edification.  The  one  system  may  secure  a 
uniform  solemnity  and  decency,  but  the  other  system  tends  to  secure  the  more  important 
qualities  of  fervor,  energy,  and  life;  and  we  believe,  whatever  fastidious  critics  may 
allege,  it  does  to  a  considerable  extent  secure  them.  At  lowest,  the  non-liturgical  method 
secures  that  the  worship  of  the  church  shall  be  a  true  reflection  of  her  life,  and  therefore, 
however  beggarly,  at  least  sincere.  Men  who  preach  their  own  sermons  and  pray  their 
own  prayers  are  more  likely  to  preach  and  pray  as  they  believe  and  live,  than  those  who 
merely  read  compositions  provided  to  their  hand.  It  only  remains  to  add,  that  while 
having  no  objection  on  principle  to  an  attempt  at  amalgamating  the  two  methods  so  as 
to  reap  the  advantages  of  both  —  a  scheme  favored  by  some  respected  brethren  in  all  the 
churches  —  we  confess  to  grave  doubts,  for  the  reasons  above  explained,  as  to  the  utility 
of  such  an  attempt.  [We  leave  the  above  as  in  the  second  edition.  Our  present  impres- 
sion, however,  is  that  a  mixture  of  the  liturgical  system,  with  fixed  forms,  with  the  free 
extempore  method,  is  not  impracticable,  and  might  yield  better  results  than  eithe/ 
separately.  —  Note  to  third  edition.] 


6o  The  Trairdng  of  the  Twelve. 

very  few  minutes.  But  the  lapse  of  time  between  the  pre- 
senting and  the  granting  of  our  requests  is  implied  and 
presupposed  as  a  matter  of  course.  It  is  by  delay  that  God 
seems  to  say  to  us  what  the  ungenerous  neighbor  said  to 
his  friend,  and  that  we  are  tempted  to  think  that  we  pray 
to  no  purpose. 

Both  the  parables  spoken  by  Christ  to  inculcate  persever- 
ance in  prayer  seek  to  effect  their  purpose  by  showing  the 
power  of  importunity  in  the  most  unpromising  circumstances. 
The  characters  appealed  to  are  both  bad  —  one  is  ungenerous, 
and  the  other  unjust;  and  from  neither  is  anything  to  be 
gained  except  by  working  on  his  selfishness.  And  the  point 
of  the  parable  in  either  case  is,  that  importunity  has  a  power 
of  annoyance  which  enables  it  to  gain  its  object. 

It  is  important  again  to  observe  what  is  supposed  to  be 
the  leading  subject  of  prayer  in  connection  with  the  argu- 
ment now  to  be  considered.  The  thing  upon  which  Christ 
assumes  His  disciples  to  have  set  their  hearts  is  personal 
sanctification.'  This  appears  from  the  concluding  sentence 
of  the  discourse :  "  How  much  more  shall  your  heavenly 
Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him  !  "  Jesus 
takes  for  granted  that  the  persons  to  whom  He  addresses 
Himself  here  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  right- 
eousness. Therefore,  though  He  inserted  a  petition  for 
daily  bread  in  the  form  of  prayer,  He  drops  that  object  out 
of  view  in  the  latter  part  of  His  discourse  ;  both  because  it  is 
by  hypothesis  not  the  chief  object  of  desire,  and  also  because, 
for  all  who  truly  give  God's  kingdom  the  first  place  in  their 
regards,  food  and  raiment  are  thrown  into  the  bargain.^ 

To  such  as  do  not  desire  the  Holy  Spirit  above  all  things, 
Jesus  has  nothing  to  say.  He  does  not  encourage  them  to 
hope  that  they  shall  receive  any  thing  of  the  Lord ;  least  of 
all,  the  righteousness  of  the  kingdom,  personal  sanctification. 
He  regards  the  prayers  of  a  double-minded  man,  who  has 

'  The  supposed  subject  of  prayer  in  Luke  xviii,  is  the  general  interest  of  the  divine 
kingdom  on  the  earth. 

^  In  Matt.  vii.  ii,  which  answers  to  Luke  xi.  13,  the  phrase  expressive  of  the  object 
of  desire  is  a.ya.Qa,  "good  things,"  instead  of  TrfcO/iia  ixyiov.  The  Pauline  character  of  the 
latter  expression  has  been  remarked  on,  as  one  of  many  traces  of  the  apostle's  influence 
on  the  third  Evangelist.  TJie  doctrine  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  immanent  ground  of 
Christian  sanctity  is  emphatically  Pauline.  But  the  doctrine  of  gradual  sanctification 
is  not  prominent  in  Paulinism. 


Lessons  on  Prayer.  6i 

two  chief  ends  in  view,  as  a  hollow  mockery  —  mere  words, 
which  never  reach  Heaven's  ear. 

The  supposed  cause  of  fainting  being  delay,  and  the 
supposed  object  of  desire  being  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  spiritual 
situation  contemplated  in  the  argument  is  definitely  deter- 
mined. The  Teacher's  aim  is  to  succor  and  encourage  those 
who  feel  that  the  work  of  grace  goes  slowly  on  within  them, 
and  wonder  why  it  does  so,  and  sadly  sigh  because  it  does 
so.  Such  we  conceive  to  have  been  the  state  of  the  twelve 
when  this  lesson  was  given  them.  They  had  been  made 
painfully  conscious  of  incapacity  to  perform  aright  their 
devotional  duties,  and  they  took  that  incapacity  to  be  an 
index  of  their  general  spiritual  condition,  and  were  much 
depressed  in  consequence. 

The  argument  by  which  Jesus  sought  to  inspire  His  dis- 
couraged disciples  with  hope  and  confidence  as  to  the  ulti- 
mate fulfilment  of  their  desires,  is  characterized  by  boldness, 
geniality,  wisdom,  and  logical  force.  Its  boldness  is  evinced 
in  the  choice  of  illustrations.  Jesus  has  such  confidence  in 
the  goodness  of  His  cause,  that  He  states  the  case  as  dis- 
advantageously  for  Himself  as  possible,  by  selecting  for  illus- 
tration not  good  samples  of  men,  but  persons  rather  below 
than  above  the  ordinary  standard  of  human  virtue.  A  man 
who,  on  being  applied  to  at  any  hour  of  the  night  by  a  neigh- 
bor for  help  in  a  real  emergency,  such  as  that  supposed  in 
the  parable,  or  in  a  case  of  sudden  sickness,  should  put  him 
off  with  such  an  answer  as  this,  "  Trouble  me  not,  the  door 
is  now  shut,  and  my  children  are  with  me  in  bed  :  I  cannot 
rise  and  give  thee,"  would  justly  incur  the  contempt  of  his 
acquaintances,  and  become  a  byword  among  them  for  all  that 
is  ungenerous  and  heartless.  The  same  readiness  to  take 
an  extreme  case  is  observable  in  the  second  argument,  drawn 
from  the  conduct  of  fathers  towards  their  children.  "  If  a 
son  shall  ask  bread  of  any  oi  you"  —  so  it  begins.'  Jesus 
does  not  care  what  father  may  be  selected  ;  He  is  willing  to 
take  any  one  they  please  :  He  will  take  the  very  worst  as 
readily  as  the  best ;  nay,  more  readily,  for  the  argument 
turns  not  on  the  goodness  of  the  parent,  but  rather  on  his 

'  Or  "  of  which  of  you  that  is  a  father  shall  his  son  ask  a  loaf,"  as  in  R.  V.  The 
sense  is  the  same. 


62  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

want  of  goodness,  as  it  aims  to  show  that  no  special  good- 
ness is  required  to  keep  all  parents  from  doing  what  would 
be  an  outrage  on  natural  affection,  and  revolting  to  the 
feelings  of  all  mankind. 

The  genial,  kindly  character  of  the  argument  is  manifest 
from  the  insight  and  sympathy  displayed  therein.  Jesus 
divines  what  hard  thoughts  men  think  of  God  under  the 
burden  of  unfulfilled  desire  ;  how  they  doubt  His  goodness, 
and  deem  Him  indifferent,  heartless,  unjust.  He  shows  His 
intimate  knowledge  of  their  secret  imaginations  by  the  cases 
He  puts  ;  for  the  unkind  friend  and  unnatural  father,  and  we 
may  add,  the  unjust  judge,  are  pictures  not  indeed  of  what 
God  is,  or  of  what  He  would  have  us  believe  God  to  be,  but 
certainly  of  what  even  pious  men  sometimes  think  Him  to 
be.'  And  He  cannot  only  divine,  but  sympathize.  He 
does  not,  like  Job's  friends,  find  fault  with  those  who  harbor 
doubting  and  apparently  profane  thoughts,  nor  chide  them 
for  impatience,  distrust,  and  despondency.  He  deals  with 
them  as  men  compassed  with  infirmity,  and  needing  sym- 
pathy, counsel,  and  help.  And  in  supplying  these.  He  comes 
down  to  their  level  of  feeling,  and  tries  to  show  that,  even 
if  things  were  as  they  seem,  there  is  no  cause  for  despair. 
He  argues  from  their  own  thoughts  of  God,  that  they  should 
still  hope  in  Him.  "  Suppose,"  He  says  in  effect,  "  God  to 
be  what  you  fancy,  indifferent  and  heartless,  still  pray  on  ; 
see,  in  the  case  I  put,  what  perseverance  can  effect.  Ask 
as  the  man  who  wanted  loaves  asked,  and  ye  shall  also 
receive  from  Him  who  seems  at  present  deaf  to  your  peti- 
tions. Appearances,  I  grant,  may  be  very  unfavorable,  but 
they  cannot  be  more  so  in  your  case  than  in  that  of  the 
petitioner  in  the  parable ;  and  yet  you  observe  how  he  fared 
through  not  being  too  easily  disheartened." 

Jesus  displays  His  wisdom  in  dealing  with  the  doubts  of 
His  disciples,  by  avoiding  all  elaborate  explanations  of  the 
causes  or  reasons  of  delay  in  the  answering  of  prayer,  and 
using  only  arguments  adapted  to  the  capacity  of  persons 
weak  in  faith  and  in  spiritual  understanding.  He  does  not 
attempt  to  show  why  sanctification  is  a  slow,  tedious  work, 
not  a  momentary  act :  why  the  Spirit  is  given  gradually  and 

*  See  the  Book  of  ]oh,  /assim,  and  Ps.  Ixxiii.,  Ixxvii.,  etc. 


Lessons  on  Prayer.  63 

in  limited  measure,  not  at  once  and  without  measure.  He 
simply  urges  His  hearers  to  persevere  in  seeking  the  Holy- 
Spirit,  assuring  them  that,  in  spite  of  trying  delay,  their 
desires  will  be  fulfilled  in  the  end.  He  teaches  them  no 
philosophy  of  waiting  on  God,  but  only  tells  them  that  they 
shall  not  wait  in  vain. 

This  method  the  Teacher  followed  not  from  necessity,  but 
from  choice.  For  though  no  attempt  was  made  at  explaining 
divine  delays  in  providence  and  grace,  it  was  not  because 
explanation  was  impossible.  There  were  many  things  which 
Christ  might  have  said  to  His  disciples  at  this  time  if  they 
could  have  borne  them  ;  some  of  which  they  afterwards  said 
themselves,  when  the  Spirit  of  Truth  had  come,  and  guided 
them  into  all  truth,  and  made  them  acquainted  with  the 
secret  of  God's  way.  He  might  have  pointed  out  to  them, 
e.g.,  that  the  delays  of  which  they  complained  were  according 
to  the  analogy  of  nature,  in  which  gradual  growth  is  the 
universal  law  ;  that  time  was  needed  for  the  production  of 
the  ripe  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  just  in  the  same  way  as  for  the 
production  of  the  ripe  fruits  of  the  field  or  of  the  orchard ; 
that  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  the  spiritual  fruits  were 
peculiarly  slow  in  ripening,  as  it  was  a  law  of  growth  that 
the  higher  the  product  in  the  scale  of  being,  the  slower  the 
process  by  which  it  is  produced  ; '  that  a  momentary  sanctifi- 
cation,  though  not  impossible,  would  be  as  much  a  miracle 
in  the  sense  of  a  departure  from  law,  as  was  the  immediate 
transformation  of  water  into  wine  at  the  marriage  in  Cana ; 
that  if  instantaneous  sanctification  were  the  rule  instead  of 
the  rare  exception,  the  kingdom  of  grace  would  become  too 
like  the  imaginary  worlds  of  children's  dreams,  in  which 
trees,  fruits,  and  palaces  spring  into  being  full-grown,  ripe, 
and  furnished,  in  a  moment  as  by  enchantment,  and  too 
unlike  the  real,  actual  world  with  which  men  are  conversant, 
in  which  delay,  growth,  and  fixed  law  are  invariable  char- 
acteristics. 

Jesus  might  further  have  sought  to  reconcile  His  disciples 
to  delay  by  descanting  on  the  virtue  of  patience.  Much 
could  be  said  on  that  topic.     It  could  be  shown  that  a  char- 

'  This  idea  is  well  worked  out  in  a  sermon  by  H.  W.  Beecher  on  "  Waiting  for  the 
Lord."  —  Sermotis,  vol.  i. 


64  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

acter  cannot  be  perfect  in  which  the  virtue  of  patience  has 
no  place,  and  that  the  gradual  method  of  sanctification  is 
best  adapted  for  its  development,  as  affording  abundant 
scope  for  its  exercise.  It  might  be  pointed  out  how  much 
the  ultimate  enjoyment  of  any  good  thing  is  enhanced  by  its 
having  to  be  waited  for ;  how  in  proportion  to  the  trial  is 
the  triumph  of  faith  ;  how,  in  the  quaint  words  of  one  who 
was  taught  wisdom  in  this  matter  by  his  own  experience, 
and  by  the  times  in  which  he  lived,  "  It  is  fit  we  see  and  feel 
the  shaping  and  sewing  of  every  piece  of  the  wedding  gar- 
ment, and  the  framing  and  moulding  and  fitting  of  the  crown 
of  glory  for  the  head  of  the  citizen  of  heaven  ;"  how  "the 
repeated  sense  and  frequent  experience  of  grace  in  the  ups 
and  downs  in  the  way,  the  falls  and  risings  again  of  the 
traveller,  the  revolutions  and  changes  of  the  spiritual  condi- 
tion, the  new  moon,  the  darkened  moon,  the  full  moon  in  the 
Spirit's  ebbing  and  flowing,  raiseth  in  the  heart  of  saints  on 
their  way  to  the  country  a  sweet  smell  of  the  fairest  rose 
and  lily  of  Sharon;"  how,  "as  travellers  at  night  talk  of 
their  foul  ways,  and  of  the  praises  of  their  guide,  and  battle 
being  ended,  soldiers  number  their  wounds,  extol  the  valor, 
skill,  and  courage  of  their  leader  and  captain,"  so  "  it  is 
meet  that  the  glorified  soldiers  may  take  loads  of  experience 
of  free  grace  to  heaven  with  them,  and  there  speak  of  their 
way  and  their  country,  and  the  praises  of  Him  that  hath 
redeemed  them  out  of  all  nations,  tongues,  and  languages.'" 

Such  considerations,  however  just,  would  have  been  wasted 
on  men  in  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  disciples.  Children 
have  no  sympathy  with  growth  in  any  world,  whether  of 
nature  or  of  grace.  Nothing  pleases  them  but  that  an  acorn 
should  become  an  oak  at  once,  and  that  immediately  after 
the  blossom  should  come  the  ripe  fruit.  Then  it  is  idle  to 
speak  of  the  uses  of  patience  to  the  inexperienced ;  for  the 
moral  value  of  the  discipline  of  trial  cannot  be  appreciated 
till  the  trial  is  past.  Therefore,  as  before  stated,  Jesus 
abstained  entirely  from  reflections  of  the  kind  suggested,  and 
adopted  a  simple,  popular  style  of  reasoning  which  even  a 
child  could  understand. 

The  reasoning  of  Jesus,  while  very  simple,  is  very  cogent 

*  Samuel  Rutherford,  Trial  and  Triumph  of  Faith,  Sermon  xviii. 


Lessons  on  Prayer.  65 

and  conclusive.  The  first  argument  —  that  contained  in 
the  parable  of  the  ungenerous  neighbor  —  is  fitted  to  inspire 
hope  in  God,  even  in  the  darkest  hour,  when  He  appears 
indifferent  to  our  cry,  or  positively  unwilling  to  help,  and  so  to 
induce  us  to  persevere  in  asking.  "  As  the  man  who  wanted 
the  loaves  knocked  on  louder  and  louder,  with  an  importu- 
nity that  knew  no  shame,'  and  would  take  no  refusal,  and 
thereby  gained  his  object,  the  selfish  friend  being  glad  at 
last  to  get  up  and  serve  him  out  of  sheer  regard  to  his  own 
comfort,  it  being  simply  impossible  to  sleep  with  such  a 
noise ;  so  (such  is  the  drift  of  the  argument),  so  continue 
thou  knocking  at  the  door  of  heaven,  and  thou  shalt  obtain 
thy  desire  if  it  were  only  to  be  rid  of  thee.  See  in  this 
parable  what  a  power  importunity  has,  even  at  a  most  un- 
promising time —  midnight  —  and  with  a  most  unpromising 
person,  who  prefers  his  own  comfort  to  a  neighbor's  good  : 
ask,  therefore,  persistently,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you 
also ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened 
unto  you." 

At  one  point,  indeed,  this  most  pathetic  and  sympathetic 
argument  seems  to  be  weak.  The  petitioner  in  the  parable 
had  the  selfish  friend  in  his  power  by  being  able  to  annoy 
him  and  keep  him  from  sleeping.  Now,  the  tried  desponding 
disciple  whom  Jesus  would  comfort  may  rejoin  :  "  What  power 
have  I  to  annoy  God,  who  dwelleth  on  high,  far  beyond  my 
reach,  in  imperturbable  felicity  }  '  Oh  that  I  knew  where  I 
might  find  Him,  that  I  might  come  even  to  His  seat  !  But, 
behold,  I  go  forward,  but  He  is  not  there ;  and  backward, 
but  I  cannot  perceive  Him  :  on  the  left  hand,  where  He  doth 
work,  but  I  cannot  behold  Him  :  He  hideth  Himself  on  the 
right  hand,  that  I  cannot  see  Him.'  "^  The  objection  is  one 
which  can  hardly  fail  to  occur  to  the  subtle  spirit  of  despond- 
ency, and  it  must  be  admitted  that  it  is  not  frivolous.  There 
is  really  a  failure  of  the  analogy  at  this  point.  We  can  annoy 
a  man,  like  the  ungenerous  neighbor  in  bed,  or  the  unjust 
judge,  but  we  cannot  annoy  God.  The  parable  does  not 
suggest  the  true  explanation  of  divine  delay,  or  of  the  ulti- 
mate success  of  importunity.  It  merely  proves,  by  a  homely 
instance,  that  delay,  apparent  refusal,  from  whatever  cause 

*  The  Greek  word  is  avaiSttav  =  shamelessness.  ^  Job  xxiii.  3,  8,  9. 


66  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

it  may  arise,  is  not  necessarily  final,  and  therefore  can  be  no 
good  reason  for  giving  up  asking. 

This  is  a  real  if  not  a  great  service  rendered.  But  the 
doubting  disciple,  besides  discovering  with  characteristic 
acuteness  what  the  parable  fails  to  prove,  may  not  be  able  to 
extract  any  comfort  from  what  it  does  prove.  What  is  he 
to  do  then  .''  Fall  back  on  the  strong  asseveration  with  which 
Jesus  follows  up  the  parable  :  "And  /  say  unto  you."  Here, 
doubter,  is  an  oracular  dictum  from  One  who  can  speak  with 
authority ;  One  who  has  been  in  the  bosom  of  the  eternal 
God,  and  has  come  forth  to  reveal  His  inmost  heart  to  men 
groping  in  the  darkness  of  nature  after  Him,  if  haply  they 
might  find  Him.  When  He  addresses  you  in  such  emphatic, 
solemn  terms  as  these,  "  I  say  unto  you,  Ask,  and  it  shall 
be  given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be 
opened  unto  you,"  you  may  take  the  matter  on  His  word, 
at  least  pro  tempore.  Even  those  who  doubt  the  reasonable- 
ness of  prayer,  because  of  the  constancy  of  nature's  laws 
and  the  unchangeableness  of  divine  purposes,  might  take 
Christ's  word  for  it  that  prayer  is  not  vain,  even  in  relation  to 
daily  bread,  not  to  speak  of  higher  matters,  until  they  arrive 
at  greater  certainty  on  the  subject  than  they  can  at  present 
pretend  to.  Such  may,  if  they  choose,  despise  the  parable  as 
childish,  or  as  conveying  crude  anthropopathic  ideas  of  the 
Divine  Being,  but  they  cannot  despise  the  deliberate  declara- 
tions of  One  whom  even  they  regard  as  the  wisest  and  best 
of  men. 

The  second  argument  employed  by  Jesus  to  urge  perse- 
verance in  prayer  is  of  the  nature  of  a  reductio  ad  absurdwn, 
ending  with  a  conclusion  a  fortiori.  "  If,"  it  is  reasoned, 
"  God  refused  to  hear  His  children's  prayers,  or,  worse  still, 
if  He  mocked  them  by  giving  them  something  bearing  a 
superficial  resemblance  to  the  things  asked,  only  to  cause 
bitter  disappointment  when  the  deception  was  discovered, 
then  were  He  not  only  as  bad  as,  but  far  worse  than,  even 
the  most  depraved  of  mankind.  For,  take  fathers  at  random, 
which  of  them,  if  a  son  were  to  ask  bread,  would  give  him  a 
stone  .''  or  if  he  asked  a  fish,  would  give  him  a  serpent  .^  or 
if  he  asked  an  egg,  would  offer  him  a  scorpion  .-•  The  very 
supposition  is  monstrous.     Human  nature  is  largely  vitiated 


Lessons  07t  Prayer.  67 

by  moral  evil ;  there  is,  in  particular,  an  evil  spirit  of  selfish- 
ness in  the  heart  which  comes  into  conflict  with  the  generous 
affections,  and  leads  men  ofttimes  to  do  base  and  unnatural 
things.  But  men  taken  at  the  average  are  not  diabolic  ;  and 
nothing  short  of  a  diabolic  spirit  of  mischief  could  prompt 
a  father  to  mock  a  child's  misery,  or  deliberately  to  give  him 
things  fraught  with  deadly  harm.  If,  then,  earthly  parents, 
though  evil  in  many  of  their  dispositions,  give  good,  and,  so 
far  as  they  know,  only  good,  gifts  to  their  children,  and  would 
shrink  with  horror  from  any  other  mode  of  treatment,  is  it 
to  be  credited  that  the  Divine  Being,  that  Providence,  can 
do  what  only  devils  would  think  of  doing  }  On  the  contrary, 
what  is  only  barely  possible  for  man  is  for  God  altogether 
impossible,  and  what  all  but  monsters  of  iniquity  will  not 
fail  to  do  God  will  do  much  more.  He  will  most  surely  give 
good  gifts,  and  only  good  gifts,  to  His  asking  children  ;  most 
especially  will  He  give  His  best  gift,  which  His  true  children 
desire  above  all  things,  even  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  enlightener 
and  the  sanctifier.  Therefore  again  I  say  unto  you  :  Ask, 
and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and  it 
shall  be  opened." 

Yet  it  is  implied  in  the  very  fact  that  Christ  puts  such 
cases  as  a  stone  given  for  bread,  a  serpent  for  a  fish,  or  a 
scorpion  for  an  Qgg,  that  God  seems  at  least  sometimes  so 
to  treat  His  children.  The  time  came  when  the  twelve 
thought  they  had  been  so  treated  in  reference  to  the  very 
subject  in  which  they  were  most  deeply  interested,  after 
their  own  personal  sanctification,  viz.,  the  restoration  of 
the  kingdom  to  Israel.  But  their  experience  illustrates  the 
general  truth,  that  when  the  Hearer  of  prayer  seems  to  deal 
unnaturally  with  His  servants,  it  is  because  they  have  made 
a  mistake  about  the  nature  of  good,  and  have  not  known 
what  they  asked.  They  have  asked  for  a  stone,  thinking  it 
bread,  and  hence  the  true  bread  seems  a  stone  ;  for  a  shadow, 
thinking  it  a  substance,  and  hence  the  substance  seems  a 
shadow.  The  kingdom  for  which  the  twelve  prayed  was 
a  shadow,  hence  their  disappointment  and  despair  when 
Jesus  was  put  to  death :  the  ^gg  of  hope,  which  their  fond 
imagination  had  been  hatching,  brought  forth  the  scorpion 
of   the  cross,  and  they  fancied  that  God  had  mocked  and 


68  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

deceived  them.  But  they  Hved  to  see  that  God  was  true 
and  good,  and  that  they  had  deceived  themselves,  and  that 
all  which  Christ  had  told  them  had  been  fulfilled.  And  all 
who  wait  on  God  ultimately  make  a  similar  discovery,  and 
unite  in  testifying  that  "  the  Lord  is  good  unto  them  that 
wait  for  Him,  to  the  soul  that  seeketh  Him."  ' 

For  these  reasons  should  all  men  pray,  and  not  faint. 
Prayer  is  rational,  even  if  the  Divine  Being  were  like  men 
in  the  average,  not  indisposed  to  do  good  when  self-interest 
does  not  stand  in  the  way  —  the  creed  of  heathenism.  It  is 
still  more  manifestly  rational  if,  as  Christ  taught  and  Chris- 
tians believe,  God  be  better  than  the  best  of  men  —  the  one 
supremely  good  Being  —  the  FatJier  in  heaven.  Only  in 
either  of  two  cases  would  prayer  really  be  irrational :  if  God 
were  no  living  being  at  all,  —  the  creed  of  atheists,  with 
whom  Christ  holds  no  argument ;  or  if  He  were  a  being 
capable  of  doing  things  from  which  even  bad  men  would 
start  back  in  horror,  i.e.,  a  being  of  diabolic  nature, — the 
creed,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  of  no  human  being. 

*  Lam.  iii.  25. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

LESSONS   IN    RELIGIOUS   LIBERTY. 

Section  I.  —  Fasting. 

Matt.  ix.  14-17;  Mark  ii.  16-22;  Luke  v.  33—39. 

We  have  learnt  in  the  last  chapter  how  Jesus  taught  His 
disciples  to  pray,  and  we  are  now  to  learn  in  the  present 
chapter  how  He  taught  them  to  live. 

Christ's  ratio  vive7idi  was  characteristically  simple ;  its 
main  features  being  a  disregard  of  minute  mechanical  rules, 
and  a  habit  of  falling  back  in  all  things  on  the  great  principles 
of  morality  and  piety. 

The  practical  carrying  out  of  this  rule  of  life  led  to 
considerable  divergence  from  prevailing  custom.  In  three 
respects  especially,  according  to  the  Gospel  records,  were 
our  Lord  and  His  disciples  chargeable,  and  actually  charged, 
with  the  offence  of  nonconformity.  They  departed  from 
existing  practice  in  the  matters  of  fasting,  ceremonial  puri- 
fications as  prescribed  by  the  elders,  and  Sabbath  sanctifica- 
tion.  The  first  they  neglected  for  the  most  part,  the  second 
altogether;  the  third  they  did  not  neglect,  but  their  mode 
of  observing  the  weekly  rest  was  in  spirit  totally,  and  in 
detail  widely,  diverse  from  that  which  was  in  vogue. 

These  divergences  from  established  custom  are  historically 
interesting  as  the  small  beginnings  of  a  great  moral  and 
religious  revolution.  For  in  teaching  His  disciples  these 
new  habits,  Jesus  was  inaugurating  a  process  of  spiritual 
emancipation  which  was  to  issue  in  the  complete  deliverance 
of  the  apostles,  and  through  them  of  the  Christian  church, 
from  the  burdensome  yoke  of  Mosaic  ordinances,  and  from 
the  still  more  galling  bondage  of  a  "vain  conversation 
received  by  tradition  from  the  fathers." 

69 


'JO  The  Trainmg  of  the  Twelve. 

The  divergences  in  question  have  much  biographical  inter- 
est also  in  connection  with  the  religious  experience  of  the 
twelve.  For  it  is  a  solemn  crisis  in  any  man's  life  when  he 
first  departs  in  the  most  minute  particulars  from  the  religious 
opinions  and  practices  of  his  age.  The  first  steps  in  the 
process  of  change  are  generally  the  most  diiificult,  the  most 
perilous,  and  the  most  decisive.  In  these  respects,  learning 
spiritual  freedom  is  like  learning  to  swim.  Every  expert 
in  the  aquatic  art  remembers  the  troubles  he  experienced  in 
connection  with  his  first  attempts,  —  how  hard  he  found  it  to 
make  arms  and  legs  keep  stroke  ;  how  he  floundered  and 
plunged  ;  how  fearful  he  was  lest  he  should  go  beyond  his 
depth  and  sink  to  the  bottom.  At  these  early  fears  he  may 
now  smile,  yet  were  they  not  altogether  groundless  ;  for  the 
tyro  does  run  some  risk  of  drowning  though  the  bathing- 
place  be  but  a  small  pool  or  dam  built  by  schoolboys  on  a 
burn  flowing  through  an  inland  dell,  remote  from  broad  rivers 
and  the  great  sea. 

It  is  well  both  for  young  swimmers  and  for  apprentices  in 
religious  freedom  when  they  make  their  first  essays  in  the 
company  of  an  experienced  friend,  who  can  rescue  them 
should  they  be  in  danger.  Such  a  friend  the  twelve  had  in 
Christ,  whose  presence  was  not  only  a  safeguard  against  all 
inward  spiritual  risks,  but  a  shield  from  all  assaults  which 
might  come  upon  them  from  without.  Such  assaults  were 
to  be  expected.  Nonconformity  invariably  gives  offence  to 
many,  and  exposes  the  offending  party  to  interrogation  at 
least,  and  often  to  something  more  serious.  Custom  is  a 
god  to  the  multitude,  and  no  one  can  withhold  homage  from 
the  idol  with  impunity.  The  twelve  accordingly  did  in  fact 
incur  the  usual  penalties  connected  with  singularity.  Their 
conduct  was  called  in  question,  and  censured,  in  every 
instance  of  departure  from  use  and  wont.  Had  they  been 
left  to  themselves,  they  would  have  made  a  poor  defence 
of  the  actions  impugned  ;  for  they  did  not  understand  the 
principles  on  which  the  new  practice  was  based,  but  simply 
did  as  they  were  directed.  But  in  Jesus  they  had  a  friend 
who  did  understand  those  principles,  and  who  was  ever  ready 
to  assign  good  reasons  for  all  He  did  Himself,  and  for  all 
He  tauffht  His  followers  to  do.     The  reasons  with  which  he 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  71 

defended  the  twelve  against  the  upholders  of  prevailing 
usage  were  specially  good  and  telling ;  and  they  constitute, 
taken  together,  an  apology  for  nonconformity  not  less 
remarkable  than  that  which  He  made  for  graciously  receiv- 
ing publicans  and  sinners,'  consisting,  like  it,  of  three  lines 
of  defence  corresponding  to  the  charges  which  had  to  be 
met.  That  apology  we  propose  to  consider  in  the  present 
chapter  under  three  divisions,  in  the  first  of  which  we  take 
up  the  subject  of  fasting. 

From  Matthew's  account  we  learn  that  the  conduct  of 
Christ's  disciples  in  neglecting  fasting  was  animadverted  on 
by  the  disciples  of  John  the  Baptist.  "Then,"  we  read, 
"came  to  Him  the  disciples  of  John"  — those,  that  is,  who 
happened  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  —  "  saying.  Why  do  we 
and  the  Pharisees  fast  oft,  but  Thy  disciples  fast  not } "  ^ 
From  this  question  we  learn  incidentally  that  in  the  matter 
of  fasting  the  school  of  the  Baptist  and  the  sect  of  the 
Pharisees  were  agreed  in  their  general  practice.  As  Jesus 
told  the  Pharisees  at  a  later  date,  John  came  in  their  own 
"  way  "  of  legal  righteousness."  ^  But  it  was  a  case  of  extremes 
meeting ;  for  no  two  religious  parties  could  be  more  remote 
in  some  respects  than  the  two  just  named.  But  the  differ- 
ence lay  rather  in  the  motives  than  in  the  external  acts  of 
their  religious  life.  Both  did  the  same  things — fasted, 
practised  ceremonial  ablutions,  made  many  prayers  —  only 
they  did  them  with  a  different  mind.  John  and  his  disciples 
performed  their  religious  duties  in  simplicity,  godly  sincerity, 
and  moral  earnestness ;  the  Pharisees,  as  a  class,  did  all 
their  works  ostentatiously,  hypocritically,  and  as  matters  of 
mechanical  routine. 

From  the  same  question  we  further  learn  that  the  disciples 
of  John,  as  well  as  the  Pharisees,  were  very  zealous  in  the 
practice  of  fasting.  They  fasted  oft,  much  {-rrvKva,  Luke ; 
-TToAXa,  Matthew).  This  statement  we  otherwise  know  to  be 
strictly  true  of  such  Pharisees  as  made  great  pretensions  to 
piety.     Besides  the  annual  fast  on  the  great  day  of  atone- 

'   Vide  pp.  26,  27. 

2  Matt.  ix.  14.  From  Mark  and  Luke  it  might  be  inferred  that  some  Pharisees  were 
joint  interrogators ;  but  it  is  not  asserted,  neither  is  it  likely. 

3  Matt.  xxi.  32. 


72  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

ment  appointed  by  the  law  of  Moses,  and  the  four  fasts  which 
had  become  customary  in  the  time  of  the  Prophet  Zechariah, 
in  the  fourth,  fifth,  seventh,  and  tenth  months  of  the  Jewish 
year,  the  stricter  sort  of  Jews  fasted  twice  every  week,  viz., 
on  Mondays  and  Thursdays.'  This  bi-weekly  fast  is  alluded 
to  in  the  parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  publican.^  It  is  not 
to  be  assumed,  of  course,  that  the  practice  of  the  Baptist's 
disciples  coincided  in  this  respect  with  that  of  the  strictest 
sect  of  the  pharisaic  party.  Their  system  of  fasting  may 
have  been  organized  on  an  independent  plan,  involving  differ- 
ent arrangements  as  to  times  and  occasions.  The  one  fact 
known,  which  rests  on  the  certain  basis  of  their  own  testi- 
mony, is  that,  like  the  Pharisees,  John's  disciples  fasted 
often,  if  not  on  precisely  the  same  days  and  for  the  same 
reasons. 

It  does  not  clearly  appear  what  feelings  prompted  the 
question  put  by  John's  disciples  to  Jesus.  It  is  not  impos- 
sible that  party  spirit  was  at  work,  for  rivalry  and  jealousy 
were  not  unknown,  even  in  the  environment  of  the  forerun- 
ner.3  In  that  case,  the  reference  to  pharisaic  practice  might 
be  explained  by  a  desire  to  overwhelm  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
by  numbers,  and  put  them,  as  it  were,  in  a  hopeless  minority 
on  the  question.  It  is  more  likely,  however,  that  the  upper- 
most feeling  in  the  mind  of  the  interrogators  was  one  of  sur- 
prise, that  in  respect  of  fasting  they  should  approach  nearer 
to  a  sect  whose  adherents  were  stigmatized  by  their  own 
master  as  a  "generation  of  vipers,"  than  to  the  followers  of 
One  for  whom  that  master  cherished  and  expressed  the  deep- 
est veneration.  In  that  case,  the  object  of  the  question  was 
to  obtain  information  and  instruction.  It  accords  with  this 
view  that  the  query  was  addressed  to  Jesus.  Had  disputa- 
tion been  aimed  at,  the  questioners  would  more  naturally 
have  applied  to  the  disciples. 

If  John's  followers  came  seeking  instruction,  they  were 
not  disappointed.  Jesus  made  a  reply  to  their  question, 
remarkable  at  once  for  originality,  point,  and  pathos,  setting 
forth  in  lively  parabolic  style  the  great  principles  by  which 

•  See  Buxtorf,  De  Synagoga  jfudaica,  c.  xxx. ;  also  Zech.  viii.  19. 
^  Luke  xviii.  13. 
3  John  iii.  26. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  73 

the  conduct  of  His  disciples  could  be  vindicated,  and  by 
which  He  desired  the  conduct  of  all  who  bore  His  name  to  be 
regulated.  Of  this  reply  it  is  to  be  observed,  in  the  first 
place,  that  it  is  of  a  purely  defensive  character.  Jesus  does 
not  blame  John's  disciples  for  fasting,  but  contents  Himself 
with  defending  His  own  disciples  for  abstaining  from  fasting. 
He  does  not  feel  called  on  to  disparage  the  one  party  in 
order  to  justify  the  other,  but  takes  up  the  position  of  one 
who  virtually  says  :  "  To  fast  may  be  right  for  you,  the  follow- 
ers of  John  :  not  to  fast  is  equally  right  for  my  followers." 
How  grateful  to  Christ's  feelings  it  must  have  been  that  He 
could  assume  this  tolerant  attitude  on  a  question  in  which 
the  name  of  John  was  mixed  up  !  For  He  had  a  deep  respect 
for  the  forerunner  and  his  work,  and  ever  spoke  of  him 
in  most  generous  terms  of  appreciation  ;  now  calling  him  a 
burning  and  a  shining  lamp,'  and  at  another  time  declaring 
him  not  only  a  prophet  but  something  more.^  And  we  may 
remark  in  passing,  that  John  reciprocated  these  kindly  feel- 
ings, and  had  no  sympathy  with  the  petty  jealousies  in  which 
his  disciples  sometimes  indulged.  The  two  great  ones,  both 
of  them  censured  for  different  reasons  by  their  degenerate 
contemporaries,  ever  spoke  of  each  other  to  their  disciples 
and  to  the  public  in  terms  of  affectionate  respect ;  the  lesser 
light  magnanimously  confessing  his  inferiority,  the  greater 
magnifying  the  worth  of  His  humble  fellow-servant.  What 
a  refreshing  contrast  was  thus  presented  to  the  mean  pas- 
sions of  envy,  prejudice,  and  detraction  so  prevalent  in  other 
quarters,  under  whose  malign  influence  men  of  whom  better 
things  might  have  been  expected  spoke  of  John  as  a  mad- 
man, and  of  Jesus  as  immoral  and  profane !  ^ 

Passing  from  the  manner  to  the  matter  of  the  reply,  we 
notice  that,  for  the  purpose  of  vindicating  His  disciples, 
Jesus  availed  Himself  of  a  metaphor  suggested  by  a  memo- 
rable word  uttered  concerning  Himself  at  an  earlier  period 
by  the  master  of  those  who  now  examined  Him.  To  certain 
disciples  who  complained  that  men  were  leaving  him  and 
going  to  Jesus,  John  had  said  in  effect :  "Jesus  is  the  Bride- 
groom, I  am  but  the  Bridegroom's   friend  ;   therefore  it  i? 

'  John  V.  35.  2  Matt.  xi.  7-15. 

3  Matt.  xi.  16,  19. 


74  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

right  that  men  should  leave  me  and  join  Jesus."  ^  Jesus 
now  takes  up  the  Baptist's  words,  and  turns  them  to  account 
for  the  purpose  of  defending  the  way  of  life  pursued  by  His 
disciples.  His  reply,  freely  paraphrased,  is  to  this  effect  : 
"  I  am  the  Bridegroom,  as  your  master  said  ;  it  is  right  that 
the  children  of  the  bride-chamber  come  to  me  ;  and  it  is  also 
right  that,  when  they  have  come,  they  should  adapt  their 
mode  of  life  to  their  altered  circumstances.  Therefore  they 
do  well  not  to  fast,  for  fasting  is  the  expression  of  sadness, 
and  how  should  they  be  sad  in  my  company  }  As  well  might 
men  be  sad  at  a  marriage  festival.  The  days  ivill  come  when 
the  children  of  the  bride-chamber  shall  be  sad,  for  the  Bride- 
groom will  not  always  be  with  them  ;  and  at  the  dark  hour 
of  His  departure  it  will  be  natural  and  seasonable  for  them 
to  fast,  for  then  they  shall  be  in  a  fasting  mood  —  weeping, 
lamenting,  sorrowful,  and  disconsolate." 

The  principle  underlying  this  graphic  representation  is, 
that  fasting  should  not  be  a  matter  of  fixed  mechanical  rule, 
but  should  have  reference  to  the  state  of  mind  ;  or,  more 
definitely,  that  men  should  fast  when  they  are  sad,  or  in  a 
state  of  mind  akin  to  sadness  —  absorbed,  pre-occupied  —  as 
at  some  great  solemn  crisis  in  the  life  of  an  individual  or  a 
community,  such  as  that  in  the  history  of  Peter,  when  he 
was  exercised  on  the  great  question  of  the  admission  of  the 
Gentiles  to  the  church,  or  such  as  that  in  the  history  of 
the  Christian  community  at  Antioch,  when  they  were  about  to 
ordain  the  first  missionaries  to  the  heathen  world.  Christ's 
doctrine,  clearly  and  distinctly  indicated  here,  is  that  fasting 
in  any  other  circumstances  is  forced,  unnatural,  unreal ;  a 
thing  which  men  may  be  made  to  do  as  a  matter  of  form,  but 
which  they  do  not  with  their  heart  and  soul.  "Can  ye  make 
the  children  of  the  bride-chamber  fast  while  the  bridegroom 
is  with  them  .'' "  ^  He  asked,  virtually  asserting  that  it  was 
impossible. 

By  this  rule  the  disciples  of  our  Lord  were  justified,  and 
yet  John's  were  not  condemned.  It  was  admitted  to  be 
natural  for  them  to  fast,  as  they  were  mournful,  melancholy, 
unsatisfied.  They  had  not  found  Him  who  was  the  Desire 
of  all  nations,  the  Hope  of   the  future,  the  Bridegroom  of 

1  John  iii.  29.  ^  Luke  v.  34,  fi^j  h-ivo-v^i  .  •  .  jrot^o-ai  i/Tjo-Teueii'. 


Lessons  lit  Religioits  Liberty,  75 

the  soul.  They  only  knew  that  all  was  wrong  ;  and  in  their 
querulous,  despairing  mood  they  took  pleasure  in  fasting, 
and  wearing  coarse  raiment,  and  frequenting  lonely,  desolate 
regions,  living  as  hermits,  a  practical  protest  against  an 
ungodly  age.  The  message  that  the  kingdom  was  at  hand 
had  indeed  been  preached  to  them  also ;  but  as  proclaimed 
by  John  the  announcement  was  azuful  news,  not  good  news, 
and  made  them  anxious  and  dispirited,  not  glad.  Men  in 
such  a  mood  could  not  do  otherwise  than  fast ;  though 
whether  they  did  well  to  continue  in  that  mood  after  the 
Bridegroom  had  come,  and  had  been  announced  to  them  as 
such  by  their  own  master,  is  another  matter.  Their  grief 
was  wilful,  idle,  causeless,  when  He  had  appeared  who  was 
to  take  away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

Jesus  had  yet  more  to  say  in  reply  to  the  questions  ad- 
dressed to  Him.  Things  new  and  unusual  need  manifold 
apology,  and  therefore  to  the  beautiful  similitude  of  the 
children  of  the  bride-chamber  He  added  two  other  equally 
suggestive  parables  :  those,  viz.,  of  the  nezv patcJi  on  the  old 
garment,  and  the  neiv  wine  in  old  skins.  The  design  of 
these  parables  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  the  first  part 
of  His  reply,  viz.,  to  enforce  the  law  of  congriiity  in  relation 
to  fasting  and  similar  matters  ;  that  is,  to  show  that  in  all 
voluntary  religious  service,  where  we  are  free  to  regulate  our 
own  conduct,  the  outward  act  should  be  made  to  correspond 
with  the  inward  condition  of  mind,  and  that  no  attempt 
should  be  made  to  force  particular  acts  or  habits  on  men 
without  reference  to  that  correspondence.  "  In  natural 
things,"  He  meant  to  say,  "we  observe  this  law  of  congruity. 
No  man  putteth  a  piece  of  unfulled  cloth  '  on  an  old  garment. 
Neither  do  men  put  new  wine  into  old  skins,  and  that  not 
merely  out  of  regard  to  propriety,  but  to  avoid  bad  conse- 
quences. For  if  the  rule  of  congruity  be  neglected,  the 
patched  garment  will  be  torn  by  the  contraction  of  the  new 
cloth  ;^  and  the  old  skin  bottles  will  burst  under  the 
fermenting  force  of  the  new  liquor,  and  the  wine  will  be 
spilled  and  lost." 

'    Matt.  IX.   16,  paKOU!  a.yva.<l>ov. 

^  Luke  V.  36  gives  the  thought  a  different  turn.  The  cloth  is  merely  new  (kou'oi'), 
and  two  objections  to  patching  are  liinted  at.  First,  good  cloth  is  wasted  in  patching, 
which  would  have  been  better  employed  in  making  a  new  garment.  Second,  the  patch- 
work is  unseemly  and  unsatisfactory.     The  old  and  the  new  do  not  agree  (oii  <jvii.(i>Mi'il). 


76  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

The  old  cloth  and  old  bottles  in  these  metaphors  represent 
old  ascetic  fashions  in  religion  ;  the  new  cloth  and  the  new 
wine  represent  the  new  joyful  life  in  Christ,  not  possessed 
by  those  who  tenaciously  adhered  to  the  old  fashions.  The 
parables  were  applied  primarily  to  Christ's  own  age,  but  they 
admit  of  application  to  all  transition  epochs  ;  indeed,  they  find 
new  illustration  in  almost  every  generation. 

The  force  of  these  homely  parables  as  arguments  in  vindi- 
cation of  departure  from  current  usage  in  matters  of  religion 
may  be  evaded  in  either  of  two  ways.  First,  their  relevancy 
may  be  denied ;  i.e.,  it  may  be  denied  that  religious  beliefs 
are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  demand  congenial  modes  of 
expression,  under  penalties  if  the  demand  is  not  complied 
with.  This  position  is  usually  assumed  virtually  or  openly 
by  the  patrons  of  use  and  wont.  Conservative  minds  have  for 
the  most  part  a  very  inadequate  conception  of  the  vital  force 
of  belief.  Their  own  belief,  their  spiritual  life  altogether,  is 
often  a  feeble  thing,  and  they  imagine  tameness  or  pliancy 
must  be  an  attribute  of  other  men's  faith  also.  Nothing  but 
dire  experience  will  convince  them  that  they  are  mistaken  ; 
and  when  the  proof  comes  in  the  shape  of  an  irrepressible 
revolutionary  outburst,  they  are  stupefied  with  amazement. 
Such  men  learn  nothing  from  the  history  of  previous  genera- 
tions ;  for  they  persist  in  thinking  that  their  own  case  will 
be  an  exception.  Hence  the  vis  iriertice  of  established  custom 
evermore  insists  on  adherence  to  what  is  old,  till  the  new 
wine  proves  its  power  by  producing  an  explosion  needlessly 
wasteful,  by  which  both  wine  and  bottles  often  perish,  and 
energies  which  might  have  quietly  wrought  out  a  beneficent 
reformation  are  perverted  into  blind  powers  of  indiscriminate 
destruction. 

Or,  in  the  second  place,  the  relevancy  of  these  metaphors 
being  admitted  in  general  terms,  it  may  be  denied  that  a 
new  wine  (to  borrow  the  form  of  expression  from  the  second, 
more  suggestive  metaphor)  has  come  into  existence.  This 
was  virtually  the  attitude  assumed  by  the  Pharisees  towards 
Christ.  "  What  have  you  brought .''  "  they  asked  Him  in 
effect,  "  to  your  disciples,  that  they  cannot  live  as  others  do, 
but  must  needs  invent  new  religious  habits  for  themselves } 
This  new  life  of  which  you  boast  is  either  a  vain  pretence, 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  yj 

or  an  illegitimate,  spurious  thing,  not  worthy  of  toleration, 
and  the  waste  of  which  would  be  no  matter  for  regret." 
Similar  was  the  attitude  assumed  towards  Luther  by  the 
opponents  of  the  Reformation.  They  said  to  him  in  effect : 
"If  this  new  revelation  of  yours,  that  sinners  are  justified 
by  faith  alone,  were  true,  we  admit  that  it  would  involve 
very  considerable  modification  in  religious  opinion,  and  many 
alterations  in  religious  practice.  But  we  deny  the  truth  of 
your  doctrine,  we  regard  the  peace  and  comfort  you  find  in 
it  as  a  hallucination  ;  and  therefore  we  insist  that  you  return 
to  the  time-honored  faith,  and  then  you  will  have  no  difficulty 
in  acquiescing  in  the  long-established  practice."  The  same 
thing  happens  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  every  generation  ; 
for  new  wine  is  always  in  course  of  being  produced  by  the 
eternal  vine  of  truth,  demanding  in  some  particulars  of  belief 
and  practice  new  bottles  for  its  preservation,  and  receiving 
for  answer  an  order  to  be  content  with  the  old  ones. 

Without  going  the  length  of  denunciation  or  direct  attempt 
at  suppression,  those  who  stand  by  the  old  often  oppose  the 
new  by  the  milder  method  of  disparagement.  They  eulogize 
the  venerable  past,  and  contrast  it  with  the  present,  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  latter.  "The  old  wine  is  vastly  superior 
to  the  new  :  how  mellow,  mild,  fragrant,  wholesome,  the  one ! 
how  harsh  and  fiery  the  other !  "  Those  who  say  so  are  not 
the  worst  of  men  :  they  are  often  the  best,  —  the  men  of  taste 
and  feeling,  the  gentle,  the  reverent,  and  the  good,  who  are 
themselves  excellent  samples  of  the  old  vintage.  Their 
opposition  forms  by  far  the  most  formidable  obstacle  to  the 
public  recognition  and  toleration  of  what  is  new  in  religious 
life;  for  it  naturally  creates  a  strong  prejudice  against  any 
cause  when  the  saintly  disapprove  of  it. 

Observe,  then,  how  Christ  answers  the  honest  admirers  of 
the  old  wine.  He  concedes  the  point :  He  admits  that  their 
preference  is  natural.  Luke  represents  Him  as  saying,  in 
the  conclusion  of  His  reply  to  the  disciples  of  the  Baptist  : 
"  No  man  also,  having  drunk  old  wine,  desireth  the  new ;  for 
he  saith.  The  old  is  good."  '     This  striking  sentiment  exhibits 

'  Luke  V.  39.  The  version  given  in  the  text  is  in  accordance  with  the  reading 
approved  by  critics,  in  which  ivdim^  (straightway)  is  omitted,  and  instead  of  xpit'Torfpo; 
(better)  stands  xp>)o-to;  (good).  The  sense,  however,  is  the  same.  It  is  implied  that  the 
new  wine  will  be  desired  by  and  by,  and  good  is  an  emphatic  positive  which  virtually 
asserts  superiority. 


78  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

rare  candor  in  stating  the  case  of  opponents,  and  not  less 
rare  modesty  and  tact  in  stating  the  case  of  friends.  It  is 
as  if  Jesus  had  said  :  "  I  do  not  wonder  that  you  love  the 
old  wine  of  Jewish  piety,  fruit  of  a  very  ancient  vintage  ;  or 
even  that  you  dote  upon  the  very  bottles  which  contain  it, 
covered  over  with  the  dust  and  cobwebs  of  ages.  But  what 
then  }  Do  men  object  to  the  existence  of  new  wine,  or  refuse 
to  have  it  in  their  possession,  because  the  old  is  superior  in 
flavor .''  No  :  they  drink  the  old,  but  they  carefully  preserve 
the  new,  knowing  that  the  old  will  get  exhausted,  and  that 
the  new,  however  harsh,  will  mend  with  age,  and  may  ulti- 
mately be  superior  even  in  flavor  to  that  which  is  in  present 
use.  Even  so  should  you  behave  towards  the  new  wine  of 
my  kingdom.  You  may  not  straightway  desire  it,  because 
it  is  strange  and  novel ;  but  surely  you  might  deal  more 
wisely  with  it  than  merely  to  spurn  it,  or  spill  and  destroy 
it!" 

Too  seldom  for  the  church's  good  have  lovers  of  old  ways 
understood  Christ's  wisdom,  and  lovers  of  new  ways  sympa- 
thized with  His  charity.  A  celebrated  historian  has  remarked  : 
"  It  must  make  a  man  wretched,  if,  when  on  the  threshold 
of  old  age,  he  looks  on  the  rising  generation  with  uneasiness, 
and  does  not  rather  rejoice  in  beholding  it ;  and  yet  this  is 
very  common  with  old  men.  Fabius  would  rather  have  seen 
Hannibal  unconquered  than  see  his  own  fame  obscured  by 
Scipio."  '  There  are  always  too  many  Fabii  in  the  world, 
who  are  annoyed  because  things  will  not  remain  stationary, 
and  because  new  ways  and  new  men  are  ever  rising  up  to 
take  the  place  of  the  old.  Not  less  rare,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  Christ's  charity  among  the  advocates  of  progress.  Those 
who  affect  freedom  despise  the  stricter  sort  as  fanatics  and 
bigots,  and  drive  on  changes  without  regard  to  their  scruples, 
and  without  any  appreciation  of  the  excellent  qualities  of 
the  "old  wine."  When  will  young  men  and  old  men,  liberals 
and  conservatives,  broad  Christians  and  narrow,  learn  to 
bear  with  one  another ;  yea,  to  recognize  each  in  the  other 
the  necessary  complement  of  his  own  one-sidedness  ? 

•  Niebuhr,  Lectures  on  Roman  History,  ii.  "]■;,  78. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  79 

Section  II.  —  Ritual  Ablutions. 

Matt.  xv.  1-20;   Mark  vii.  1-23;  Luke  xi.  37-41. 

The  happy  free  society  of  Jesus,  which  kept  bridal  high- 
tide  when  others  fasted,  was  in  this  further  respect  singular 
in  its  manners,  that  its  members  took  their  meals  unconcerned 
about  existing  usages  of  purification.  They  ate  bread  with 
"defiled,  that  is  to  say,  with  unwashen  hands."  Such  was 
their  custom,  it  may  be  assumed,  from  the  beginning,  though 
the  practice  does  not  appear  to  have  become  the  subject  of 
animadversion  till  an  advanced  period  in  the  ministry  of  our 
Lord,'  at  least  in  a  way  that  gave  rise  to  incidents  worthy 
of  notice  in  the  Gospel  records.  Even  at  the  marriage  in 
Cana,  where  were  set  six  water-pots  of  stone  for  the  purposes 
of  purifying,  Christ  and  His  disciples  are  to  be  conceived  as 
distinguished  from  the  other  guests  by  a  a  certain  inattention 
to  ritual  ablutions.  This  we  infer  from  the  reasons  by  which 
the  deglect  was  defended  when  it  was  impugned,  which 
virtually  take  up  the  position  that  the  habit  condemned  was 
not  only  lawful,  but  incumbent  —  a  positive  duty  in  the 
actual  circumstances  of  Jewish  society,  and  therefore,  of 
course,  a  duty  which  could  at  no  time  be  neglected  by  those 
who  desired  to  please  God  rather  than  men.  But  indeed  it 
needs  no  proof  that  one  of  such  grave  earnest  spirit  as  Jesus 
could  never  have  paid  any  regard  to  the  trifling  regulations 
about  washing  before  eating  invented  by  the  "elders." 

These  regulations  were  no  trifles  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Pharisees  ;  and  therefore  we  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that 
the  indifference  with  which  they  were  treated  by  Jesus  and  the 
twelve  provoked  the  censure  of  that  zealous  sect  of  religion- 
ists on  at  least  two  occasions,  adverted  to  in  the  Gospel 
narratives.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  certain  Pharisees 
and  scribes,  who  had  followed  Christ  from  Jerusalem  to  the 
north,  seeing  some  of  His  disciples  eat  without  previously 
going  through  the  customary  ceremonial  ablutions,  came  to 
Him,  and  asked,  "  Why  walk  not  Thy  disciples  according 
to  the  traditions  of  the  elders,  but  eat  bread  with  unwashen 

'  During  the  last  stay  in  Galilee,  within  six  months  of  the  crucifixion. 


8o  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

hands  ? "'  In  the  other  instance  Jesus  Himself  was  the 
direct  object  of  censure.  "  A  certain  Pharisee,"  Luke  relates, 
"besought  Jesus  to  dine  with  him;  and  He  went  in,  and 
sat  (directly)  down  to  meat :  and  when  the  Pharisee  saw  it, 
he  marvelled  that  He  had  not  first  washed  before  dinner."^ 
Whether  the  host  expressed  his  surprise  by  words  or  by 
looks  only  is  not  stated  ;  but  it  was  observed  by  his  guest, 
and  was  made  an  occasion  for  exposing  the  vices  of  the 
pharisaic  character.  "Now,"  said  the  accused,  in  holy  zeal 
for  true  purity,  "  now  do  ye  Pharisees  make  clean  the  outside 
of  the  cup  and  platter,  but  your  inward  part  is  full  of  raven- 
ing and  wickedness.  Ye  fools,  did  not  He  that  made  that 
which  is  without  make  that  which  is  within  also  t  But 
rather  give  alms  of  such  things  as  ye  have  ;  and,  behold,  all 
things  are  clean  unto  you."^  That  is  to  say,  the  offending 
guest  charged  His  scandalized  host,  and  the  sect  he  belonged 
to,  with  sacrificing  inward  to  outward  purity,  and  at  the  same 
time  taught  the  important  truth  that  to  the  pure  all  things 
are  pure,  and  showed  the  way  by  which  inward  real  purity 
was  to  be  reached,  viz.,  by  the  practice  of  that  sadly  neglected 
virtue,  humanity  or  charity. 

The  Lord's  reply  in  the  other  encounter  with  pharisaic 
adversaries  on  the  subject  of  washings  was  similar  in  its 
principle,  but  different  in  form.  He  told  the  zealots  for 
purifications,  without  periphrasis,  that  they  were  guilty  of 
J  the  grave  offence  of  sacrificing  the  commandments  of  God 
to  the  commandments  of  men  —  to  these  pet  traditions  of 
the  elders.  The  statement  was  no  libel,  but  a  simple  melan- 
choly fact,  though  its  truth  does  not  quite  lie  on  the  surface. 
This  we  hope  to  show  in  the  following  remarks  ;  but  before 
we  proceed  to  that  task,  we  must  force  ourselves,  however 
reluctantly,  to  acquire  a  little  better  acquaintance  with  the 
contemptible  senilities  whose  neglect  once  seemed  so  heinous 
a  sin  to  persons  deeming  themselves  holy. 

The  aim  of  the  rabbinical  prescriptions  respecting  wash- 
ings was  not  physical  cleanliness,  but  something  thought  to 
be  far  higher  and  more  sacred.  Their  object  was  to  secure, 
not  physical,  but  ceremonial  purity  ;  that  is,  to  cleanse  the 

»  Mark  vii.  i,  2,  5.  ==  Luke  xi.  ^T- 

3  Luke  xi.  39-41.     Vide,  for  a  similar  passage,  Matt,  xxiii.  25,  26. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  8i 

person  from  such  impurity  as  might  be  contracted  by  contact 
with  a  Gentile,  or  with  a  Jew  in  a  ceremonially  unclean  state, 
or  with  an  unclean  animal,  or  with  a  dead  body  or  any  part 
thereof.  To  the  regulations  in  the  law  of  Moses  respecting 
such  uncleanness  the  rabbis  added  a  vast  number  of  addi- 
tional rules  on  their  own  responsibility,  in  a  self-willed  zeal 
for  the  scrupulous  observance  of  the  Mosaic  precepts.  They 
issued  tJieir  commandments,  as  the  Church  of  Rome  has 
issued  hers,  under  the  pretext  that  they  were  necessary  as 
means  towards  the  great  end  of  fulfilling  strictly  the  com- 
mandments of  God. 

The  burdens  laid  on  men's  shoulders  by  the  scribes  on  this 
plausible  ground  were,  by  all  accounts,  indeed  most  grievous. 
Not  content  with  purifications  prescribed  in  the  law  for  un- 
cleanness actually  contracted,  they  made  provision  for  merely 
possible  cases.  If  a  man  did  not  remain  at  home  all  day, 
but  went  out  to  market,  he  must  wash  his  hands  on  his 
return,  because  it  was  possible  that  he  might  have  touched 
some  person  or  thing  ceremonially  unclean.  Great  care,  it 
appears,  had  also  to  be  taken  that  the  water  used  in  the 
process  of  ablution  was  itself  perfectly  pure ;  and  it  was 
necessary  even  to  apply  the  water  in  a  particular  manner  to 
the  hands,  in  order  to  secure  the  desired  result.  Without 
travelling  beyond  the  sacred  record,  we  find,  in  the  items  of 
information  supplied  by  Mark  respecting  prevailing  Jewish 
customs  of  purification,  enough  to  show  to  what  ridiculous 
lengths  this  momentous  business  of  washing  was  carried. 
"  Many  other  things,"  remarks  he  quaintly,  and  not  without 
a  touch  of  quiet  satire,  "  there  be  which  they  have  received 
to  hold,  as  the  washing  of  cups  and  pots,  brazen  vessels,  and 
of  tables."  '  All  things,  in  short,  used  in  connection  with 
food  —  in  cooking  it,  or  in  placing  it  on  the  table  —  had 
to  be  washed,  not  merely  as  people  might  wash  them  now  to 
remove  actual  impurity,  but  to  deliver  them  from  the  more 
serious  uncleanness  which  they  might  possibly  have  con- 
tracted since  last  used,  by  touching  some  person  or  thing 
not  technically  clean.  A  kind  and  measure  of  purity,  in 
fact,  were  aimed  at  incompatible  with  life  in  this  world.     The 

'  Mark  vii.  4.  kKivuiv  means  "  couches  "  rather  than  tables.  But  the  right  of  the  word 
to  be  in  the  text  is  very  doubtful,  and  it  is  omitted  in  R.  V. 


82  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

very  air  of  heaven  was  not  clean  enough  for  the  doting 
patrons  of  patristic  traditions  ;  for,  not  to  speak  of  other 
more  real  sources  of  contamination,  the  breeze,  in  blowing 
over  Gentile  lands  to  the  sacred  land  of  Jewry,  had  contracted 
defilement  which  made  it  unfit  to  pass  into  ritualistic  lungs 
till  it  had  been  sifted  by  a  respirator  possessing  the  magic 
power  to  cleanse  it  from  its  pollution. 

The  extravagant  fanatical  zeal  of  the  Jews  in  these  matters 
is  illustrated  in  the  Talmud  by  stories  which,  although 
belonging  to  a  later  age,  may  be  regarded  as  a  faithful  reflec- 
tion of  the  spirit  which  animated  the  Pharisees  in  the  time 
of  our  Lord.  Of  these  stories  the  following  is  a  sample : 
"  Rabbi  Akiba  was  thrown  by  the  Christians  into  prison,  and 
Rabbi  Joshua  brought  him  every  day  as  much  water  as  suf- 
ficed both  for  washing  and  for  drinking.  But  on  one  occasion 
it  hajDpened  that  the  keeper  of  the  prison  got  the  water  to 
take  in,  and  spilled  the  half  of  it.  Akiba  saw  that  there 
was  too  little  water,  but  nevertheless  said,  Give  me  the  water 
for  my  hands.  His  brother  rabbi  replied.  My  master,  you 
have  not  enough  for  drinking.  But  Akiba  replied,  He  who 
eats  with  unwashed  hands  perpetrates  a  crime  that  ought  to 
be  punished  with  death.  Better  for  me  to  die  of  thirst  than 
to  transgress  the  traditions  of  my  ancestors."  '  Rabbi 
Akiba  would  rather  break  the  sixth  commandment,  and  be 
guilty  of  self-murder,  than  depart  from  the  least  punctilio 
of  a  fantastic  ceremonialism  ;  illustrating  the  truth  of  the 
declaration  made  by  Christ  in  His  reply  to  the  Pharisees, 
which  we  now  proceed  to  consider. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that,  in  defending  His  disciples 
from  the  frivolous  charge  of  neglecting  the  washing  of  hands, 
Jesus  would  show  much  respect  for  their  accusers.  Accord- 
ingly, we  observe  a  marked  difference  between  the  tone  of 
His  reply  in  the  present  case,  and  that  of  His  answer  to 
John's  disciples.  Towards  them  the  attitude  assumed  was 
respectfully  defensive  and  apologetic  ;  towards  the  present 
interrogants  the  attitude  assumed  is  offensive  and  denuncia- 
tory.    To  John's  disciples  Jesus  said,  "  Fasting  is  right  for 

»  Buxtorf,  Dc  Syn.  Jtid.  pp.  236,  237.  This  author  quotes  the  following  saying  of 
another  rabbi :  "  Qui  illotis  manibus  panem  comedit,  idem  est  ac  si  scorto  accubaret " 
(p.  236). 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  83 

you :  not  to  fast  is  equally  right  for  my  disciples."  To  the 
Pharisees  He  replies  by  a  retort  which  at  once  condemns 
their  conduct  and  justifies  the  behavior  which  they  chal- 
lenged. "Why,"  ask  they,  "do  Thy  disciples  transgress  the 
traditions  of  the  elders.''"  "Why,"  asked  He  in  answer, 
"  do  ye  also  transgress  the  commandments  of  God  by  your 
traditions .'' "  as  if  to  say,  "It  becomes  not  you  to  judge; 
you,  who  see  the  imaginary  mote  in  the  eye  of  a  brother, 
have  a  beam  in  your  own." 

This  spirited  answer  was  something  more  than  a  mere  re- 
tort or  et  til  qnoquc  argument.  Under  an  interrogative  form 
it  enunciated  a  great  principle,  viz.,  that  the  scrupulous  ob- 
servance of  human  traditions  in  matters  of  practice  leads  by 
a  sure  path  to  a  corresponding  negligence  and  unscrupulous- 
ness  in  reference  to  the  eternal  laws  of  God.  Hence  Christ's 
defence  of  His  disciples  was  in  substance  this  :  "  I  and  my 
followers  despise  and  neglect  those  customs  because  we 
desire  to  keep  the  moral  law.  Those  washings,  indeed,  may 
not  seem  seriously  to  conflict  with  the  great  matters  of  the 
law,  but  to  be  at  worst  only  trifling  and  contemptible.  But 
the  case  is  not  so.  To  treat  trifles  as  serious  matters,  as 
matters  of  conscience,  which  ye  do,  is  degrading  and  de- 
moralizing. No  man  can  do  that  without  being  or  becoming 
a  moral  imbecile,  or  a  hypocrite ;  either  one  who  is  incapable 
of  discerning  between  what  is  vital  and  what  not  in  morals, 
or  one  who  finds  his  interest  in  getting  trifles,  such  as 
washing  of  hands,  or  paying  tithe  of  herbs,  to  be  accepted 
as  the  important  matters,  and  the  truly  great  things  of  the 
law  —  justice,  mercy,  and  faith  —  quietly  pushed  aside  as  if 
they  were  of  no  moment  whatever." 

The  whole  history  of  religion  proves  the  truth  of  these 
views.  A  ceremony  and  tradition  ridden  time  is  infallibly  a 
morally  corrupt  time.  Hypocrites  ostensibly  zealots,  secretly 
atheists  ;  profligates  taking  out  their  revenge  in  licentiousness 
for  having  been  compelled,  by  tyrannous  custom  or  intolerant 
ecclesiastical  authorities,  to  conform  outwardly  to  practices 
for  which  they  have  no  respect  ;  priests  of  the  type  of 
the  sons  of  Eli,  gluttonous,  covetous,  wanton  :  such  are  the 
black  omens  of  an  age  in  which  ceremonies  are  every  thing, 
and    godliness    and    virtue    nothing.      Ritualistic    practices, 


84  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

artificial  duties  of  all  kinds,  whether  originatinc^  with  Jewish 
rabbis  or  with  doctors  of  the  Christian  church,  are  utterly 
to  be  abjured.  Recommended  by  their  zealous  advocates, 
often  sincerely,  as  eminently  fitted  to  promote  the  culture 
of  morality  and  piety,  they  ever  prove,  in  the  long  run,  fatal 
to  both.  Well  are  they  called  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
"  dead  works."  They  are  not  only  dead,  but  death-producing  ; 
for,  like  all  dead  things,  they  tend  to  putrefy,  and  to  breed 
a  spiritual  pestilence  which  sweeps  thousands  of  souls  into 

^  perdition.  If  they  have  any  life  at  all,  it  is  life  feeding  on 
death,  the  life  of  fungi  growing  on  dead  trees  ;  if  they  have 
any  beauty,  it  is  the  beauty  of  decay,  of  autumnal  leaves 
sere  and  yellow,  when  the  sap  is  descending  down  to  the 
earth,  and  the  woods  are  about  to  pass  into  their  winter 
state  of  nakedness  and  desolation.  Ritualism  at  its  best  is 
but  the  shortlived  after-summer  of  the  spiritual  year !  very 
fascinating  it  may  be,  but  when  it  cometh,  be  sure  winter  is 
at  the  doors.  "  We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf,  and  our  iniquities, 
like  the  wind,  have  taken  us  away." 
/•       Having  brought  a  grave  countercharge  against  the  Phari- 

^  sees,  that  of  sacrificing  morality  to  ceremonies,  the  com- 
mandments of  God  to  the  traditions  of  men,  Jesus  proceeded 
forthwith  to  substantiate  it  by  a  striking  example  and  a 
Scripture  quotation.  The  example  selected  was  the  evasion 
of  the  duties  arising  out  of  the  fifth  commandment,  under 
pretence  of  a  previous  religious  obligation.  God  said, 
"  Honor  thy  father  and  mother,"  and  attached  to  a  breach 
of  the  commandment  the  penalty  of  death.  The  Jewish 
scribes  said,  "  Call  a  thing  Corban,  and  you  will  be  exempt 
from  all  obligation  to  give  it  away,  even  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  needy  parents."  The  word  Corban  in  the  Mosaic 
law  signifies  a  gift  or  offering  to  God,  of  any  kind,  bloody  or 
bloodless,  presented  on  any  occasion,  as  in  the  fulfilment 
of  a  vow.'  In  rabbinical  dialect  it  signified  a  thing  devoted 
to  sacred  purposes,  and  therefore  not  available  for  private  or 
secular  use.  The  traditional  doctrine  on  the  subject  of 
Corban  was  mischievous  in  two  ways.  It  encouraged  men 
to  make  religion  an  excuse  for  neglecting  morality,  and  it 
opened  a  wide  door  to  knavery  and  hypocrisy.     It  taught 

'  Num.  vi.  14. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  85 

that  a  man  might  not  only  by  a  vow  deny  himself  the  use 
of  things  lawful,  but  that  he  might,  by  devoting  a  thing  to 
God,  relieve  himself  of  all  obligation  to  give  to  others  what, 
but  for  the  vow,  it  would  have  been  his  duty  to  give  them. 
Then,  according  to  the  pernicious  system  of  the  rabbis,  it 
was  not  necessary  really  to  give  the  thing  to  God  in  order 
to  be  free  of  obligation  to  give  it  to  man.  It  was  enough  to 
eall  it  Corban.  Only  pronounce  that  magic  word  over  any 
thing,  and  forthwith  it  was  sealed  over  to  God,  and  sacred 
from  the  use  of  others  at  least,  if  not  from  your  own  use. 
Thus  self-willed  zeal  for  the  honor  of  God  led  to  the  dis- 
honoring of  God,  by  taking  His  name  in  vain  ;  and  practices 
which  at  best  were  chargeable  v/ith  setting  the  first  table 
of  the  law  over  against  the  second,  proved  eventually  to  be 
destructive  of  both  tables.  They  made  the  whole  law  of 
God  of  none  effect  by  their  traditions.  The  disannulling 
of  the  fifth  commandment  was  but  a  sample  of  the  mischief 
the  zealots  for  the  commandments  of  men  had  wrought,  as 
is  implied  in  Christ's  concluding  words,  "Many  such  like 
things  do  ye."  ' 

The  Scripture  quotation^  made  by  our  Lord  in  replying  to 
the  Pharisees  was  not  less  apt  than  the  example  was  illustra- 
tive, as  pointing  out  their  characteristic  vices,  hypocrisy  and 
superstition.  They  were  near  to  God  with  their  mouth,  they 
honored  Him  with  their  lips,  but  they  were  far  from  Him 
in  their  hearts.  Their  religion  was  all  on  the  outside.  They 
scrupulously  washed  their  hands  and  their  cups,  but  they 
took  no  care  to  cleanse  their  polluted  souls.  Then,  in  the 
second  place,  their  fear  of  God  was  taught  by  the  precept  of 
men.  Human  prescriptions  and  traditions  were  their  guidey 
in  religion,  which  they  followed  blindly,  heedless  how  far 
these  commandments  of  men  might  lead  them  from  the 
paths  of  righteousness  and  true  godliness. 

The  prophetic  word  was  quick,  powerful,  sharp,  searching, 
and  conclusive.  Nothing  more  was  needed  to  confound  the 
Pharisees,  and  nothing  more  was  said  to  them  at  this  time. 
The  sacred  oracle  was  the  fitting  conclusion  of  an  unanswer- 
able argument  against  the  patrons  of  tradition.  But  Jesus 
had  compassion  on  the  poor  multitude  who  were  being  misled 

*  Mark  vii.  13.  ^  Isa.  xxix.  13, 


86  TJie  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

to  their  ruin  by  tlieir  blind  spiritual  guides,  and  therefore 
He  took  the  opportunity  of  addressing  a  word  to  those  who 
stood  around  on  the  subject  of  dispute.  What  He  had  to 
say  to  them  He  expressed  in  the  terse,  pointed  form  of  a 
proverb:  "Hear  and  understand:  not  that  which  goeth  into 
the  mouth  defileth  a  man ;  but  that  which  cometh  out  of  the 
mouth,  this  defileth  a  man."  This  was  a  riddle  to  be  solved, 
a  secret  of  wisdom  to  be  searched  out,  a  lesson  in  religion  to 
be  conned.  Its  meaning,  though  probably  understood  by  few 
at  the  moment,  was  very  plain.  It  was  simply  this:  "Pay 
most  attention  to  the  cleansing  of  the  heart,  not,  like  the 
Pharisees,  to  the  cleansing  of  the  hands.  When  the  heart  is 
J  pure,  all  is  pure;  when  the  heart  is  impure,  all  outward  puri- 
fication is  vain.  The  defilement  to  be  dreaded  is  not  that 
from  meat  ceremonially  unclean,  but  that  which  springs  from 
a  carnal  mind,  the  defilement  of  evil  thoughts,  evil  passions, 
evil  habits." 

This  passing  word  to  the  bystanders  became  the  subject  of 
a  subsequent  conversation  between  Jesus  and  His  disciples, 
in  which  He  took  occasion  to  justify  Himself  for  uttering  it, 
and  explained  to  them  its  meaning.  The  Pharisees  had 
heard  the  remark,  and  were  naturally  offended  by  it,  as  tend- 
ing to  weaken  their  authority  over  the  popular  conscience. 
The  twelve  observed  their  displeasure,  perhaps  they  over- 
heard their  comments ;  and,  fearing  evil  consequences,  they 
came  and  informed  their  Master,  probably  with  a  tone  which 
implied  a  secret  regret  that  the  speaker  had  not  been  less 
outspoken.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Jesus  gave  them  to  under- 
stand that  it  was  not  a  case  for  forbearance,  compromise,  or 
timid,  time-serving,  prudential  policy ;  the  ritualistic  tendency 
being  an  evil  plant  which  must  be  uprooted,  no  matter  with 
what  offence  to  its  patrons.  He  pleaded,  in  defence  of  His 
plainness  of  speech,  His  concern  for  the  souls  of  the  ignorant 
people  whose  guides  the  Pharisees  claimed  to  be.  "Let 
them  alone,  what  would  follow }  Why,  the  blind  leaders  and 
the  blindly  led  would  fall  together  into  the  ditch.  Therefore 
if  the  leaders  be  so  hopelessly  wedded  to  their  errors  that 
they  cannot  be  turned  from  them,  let  us  at  least  try  to  save 
their  comparatively  ignorant  victims." 

The    explanation    of   the    proverbial  word    spoken  to  the 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  87 

people  Jesus  gave  to  His  disciples  by  request  of  Peter.'  It  is 
rudely  plain  and  particular,  because  addressed  to  rudely  igno- 
rant hearers.  It  says  over  again,  in  the  strongest  possible 
language,  that  to  eat  with  unwashen  hands  defileth  not  a 
man,  because  nothing  entering  the  mouth  can  come  near  the 
soul ;  that  the  defilement  to  be  dreaded,  the  only  defilement 
worth  speaking  of,  is  that  of  an  evil,  unrenewed  heart,  out  of 
which  proceed  thoughts,  words,  and  acts  which  are  offences 
against  the  holy,  pure  law  of  God.  The  concluding  words, 
"purging  all  meats,"  have,  however,  a  peculiar  significance, 
if  we  adopt  the  reading  approved  by  critics:  "This  He  said, 
purging  all  meats."  In  that  case  we  have  the  evangelist 
giving  his  own  opinion  of  the  effect  of  Christ's  words,  viz., 
that  they  amounted  to  an  abrogation  of  the  ceremonial 
distinction  between  clean  and  unclean.  A  very  remarkable 
comment,  as  coming  from  the  man  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  the  report  of  the  preaching  of  that  apostle  who  in  his 
disciple  days  called  forth  the  declaration,  and  who  had  the 
vision  of  the  sheet  let  down  from  heaven. 

The  evangelist  having  given  us  his  comment,  we  may  add 
ours.     We  observe  that  our  Lord  is  here  silent  concerning 
the  ceremonial  law  of  Moses  (to  which  the  traditions  of  the 
elders  were  a  supplement),  and  speaks  only  of  the  command- 
ments of  God,  i.e.  the  precepts  of  the  decalogue.     The  fact 
is  significant,  as  showing  in  what  direction  He  had  come  to 
destroy,  and    in  what    to  fulfil.     Ceremonialism    was    to  be     / 
abolished,  and  the  eternal  laws  of  morality  were  to  become  ^ 
all  in  all.     Men's  consciences  were  to  be  delivered  from  the 
burden  of  outward  positive  ordinances,  that  they  might  be 
free  to  serve  the  living  God,  by  keeping  His  ten  words,  or     ^ 
the  one  royal  law  of  love.     And  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church 
to  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  Christ  designed  and  purchased  for 
her,  and  to  be  jealous  of  all  human  traditions  out  of  holy 
zeal  for  the   divine  will,  shunning   superstition  on  the  one 
side,  and  the  licentious  freedom  of  godless  libertinism  on  the 
other.     Christ's  true  followers  wish  to  be  free,  but  not  to  ^o  j 
as  they  like ;  rather  to  do  what  God  requires  of  them.     So 
minded,  they  reject  unceremoniously  all  human  authority  in  ' 
religion,  thereby  separating  themselves  from  the  devotees  to 

'  Matt.  XV.  17-20;  Mark  vii.  18-23. 


88  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

tradition  ;  and  at  the  same  time,  as  God's  servants,  they 
reverence  His  word  and  His  law,  thereby  putting  a  wide 
gulf  between  them  and  the  lawless  and  disobedient,  who  side 
with  movements  of  religious  reform,  not  in  order  to  get 
something  better  in  the  place  of  what  is  rejected,  but  to 
get  rid  of  all  moral  restraint  in  matters  human  or  divine. 


Section  III.  —  Sabbath  Observance. 

Matt.  xi:.  1-14 ;  Mark  ii.  23 — iii.  1-6;  Luke  vi.  i-ii,  xiii.  10-16, 
xiv.  1-6;  John  v.  1-18,  ix.  13-17. 

In  no  part  of  their  conduct  were  Jesus  and  His  disciples 
'^  more  frequently  found  fault  with  than  in  respect  to  their 
mode  of  observing  the  Sabbath.  Six  distinct  instances  of 
offence  given  or  taken  on  this  score  are  recorded  in  the 
Gospel  history ;  in  five  of  which  Jesus  Himself  was  the 
offender,  while  in  the  remaining  instance  His  disciples  were 
at  least  the  ostensible  objects  of  censure. 

The  offences  of  Jesus  were  all  of  one  sort ;  His  crime  was, 
that  on  the  Sabbath-day  He  wrought  works  of  healing  on 
the  persons  of  men  afflicted  respectively  with  palsy,  a  with- 
ered hand,  blindness,  dropsy,  and  on  the  body  of  a  poor 
woman  "bowed  together"  by  an  infirmity  of  eighteen  years' 
standing.  The  offence  of  the  disciples,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  that,  while  walking  along  a  way  which  lay  through  a 
corn-field,  they  stepped  aside  and  plucked  some  ears  of  grain 
for  the  purpose  of  satisfying  their  hunger.  This  was  not 
theft,  for  it  was  permitted  by  the  law  of  Moses  ;'  but  never- 
theless it  was,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Pharisees,  Sabbath- 
breaking.  It  was  contrary  to  the  command,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  work  ; "  for  to  pluck  some  ears  was  reaping  on  a  small 
scale,  and  to  rub  them  was  a  species  of  threshing ! 

These  offences,  deemed  so  grave  when  committed,  seem 
very  small  at  this  distance.  All  the  transgressions  of  the 
^abbath  Icuscljarged  against  Jesus  were  works  "of~"mercy ; 
,  and  the  one  transgression  of  the  disciples  was  for  tliem  a 
work  of  necessity,  and  the  toleration  of  it  was  for  others  a 
duty  of  mercy,  so  that  in  condemning  them  the  Pharisees  had 

*  Deut.  xxiii.  24,  25. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  89 

forgotten  that  divine  word  :  "  I  will  have  mercy,  and  not 
sacrifice."  It  is,  indeed,  hard  for  us  now  to  conceive  how 
any  one  could  be  serious  in  regarding  such  actions  as 
breaches  of  the  Sabbath,  especially  the  harmless  act  of  the 
twelve.  There  is  a  slight  show  of  plausibility  in  the  objection 
taken  by  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue  to  miraculous  cures 
wrought  on  the  seventh  day :  "  There  are  six  days  on  which 
men  ought  to  work ;  in  them  therefore  come  and  be  healed, 
and  not  on  the  Sabbath-day."  '  The  remark  was  specially 
plausible  with  reference  to  the  case  which  had  provoked  the 
ire  of  the  dignitary  of  the  synagogue.  A  woman  who  had 
been  a  sufferer  for  eighteen  years  might  surely  bear  her 
trouble  one  day  more,  and  come  and  be  healed  on  the 
morrow  !  But  on  what  pretence  could  the  disciples  be  blamed 
as  Sabbath-breakers  for  helping  themselves  to  a  few  ears  of 
corn  .''  To  call  such  an  act  working  was  too  ridiculous.  Men 
who  found  a  Sabbatic  offence  here  must  have  been  very 
anxious  to  catch  the  disciples  of  Jesus  in  a  fault. 

On  the  outlook  for  faults  we  have  no  doubt  the  Pharisees 
were  ;  and  yet  we  must  admit  that,  in  condemning  the  act 
referred  to,  they  were  acting  faithfully  in  accordance  with 
their  theoretical  views  and  habitual  tendencies.  Their  judg- 
ment on  the  conduct  of  the  twelve  was  in  keeping  with  their 
traditions  concerning  washings,  and  their  tithing  of  mint  and 
other  garden  herbs,  and  their  straining  of  gnats  out  of  their 
wine-cup.  Their  habit,  in  all  things,  was  to  degrade  God's 
law  by  framing  innumerable  petty  rules  for  its  better  obser- 
vance,  which,  instead  of  securing  that  end,  only  made  the  law 
appear  base  and  contemptible.  In  no  case  was  this  miser- 
able micrology  carried  greater  lengths  than  in  connection 
with  the  fourth  commandmemt.  With  a  most  perverse 
ingenuity,  the  most  insignificant  actions  were  brought  within 
the  scope  of  the  prohibition  against  labor.  Even  in  the 
case  put  by  our  Lord,  that  of  an  animal  fallen  into  a  pit,  it 
was  deemed  lawful  to  lift  it  out  —  so  at  least  those  learned 
in  rabbinical  lore  tell  us  —  only  when  to  leave  it  there  till 
Sabbath  was  past  would  involve  risk  to  life.  When  delay  was 
not  dangerous,  the  rule  was  to  give  the  beast  food  sufficient 
for  the  day ;  and  if  there  was  water  in  the  bottom  of  the  pit, 

'  Luke  xiii.  14. 


90  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

to  place  straw  and  bolsters  below  it,  that  it  might  not  be 
drowned.' 

Yet  with  all  their  strictness  in  abstaining  from  every- 
thing bearing  the  faintest  resemblance  to  work,  the  Jews 
were  curiously  lax  in  another  direction.  While  scrupulously- 
observing  the  law  which  prohibited  the  cooking  of  food  on 
Sabbath, 2  they  did  not  make  the  holy  day  by  any  means  a 
day  of  fasting.  On  the  contrary,  they  considered  it  their 
duty  to  make  the  Sabbath  a  day  of  feasting  and  good  cheer.^ 
In  fact,  it  was  at  a  Sabbath  feast,  given  by  a  chief  man  among 
the  Pharisees,  that  one  of  the  Sabbath  miracles  was  wrought 
for  which  Jesus  was  put  upon  His  defence.  At  this  feast 
were  numerous  guests,  Jesus  Himself  being  one, —  invited, 
it  is  to  be  feared,  with  no  friendly  feelings,  but  rather  in 
the  hope  of  finding  something  against  Him  concerning  the 
Sabbatic  law.  "  It  came  to  pass,"  we  read  in  Luke,  "  as  He 
(Jesus)  went  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  rulers  of  the  Phari- 
sees to  eat  bread  on  a  Sabbath-day,  that  they  were  watching 
Him.'*  They  set  a  trap,  and  hoped  to  catch  in  it  Him  whom 
they  hated  without  cause  ;  and  they  got  for  their  pains  such 
searching,  humbling  table-talk  as  they  had  probably  never 
heard  before.^  This  habit  of  feasting  had  grown  to  a  great 
abuse  in  the  days  of  Augustine,  as  appears  from  the  descrip- 
tion he  gives  of  the  mode  in  which  contemporary  Jews 
celebrated  their  weekly  holiday.  "  To-day,"  he  writes,  "  is  the 
Sabbath,  which  the  Jews  at  the  present  time  keep  in  loose, 
luxurious  ease,  for  they  occupy  their  leisure  in  frivolity ;  and 
wherers  God  commanded  a  Sabbath,  they  spend  it  in  those 
things  which  God  forbids.  Our  rest  is  from  evil  works, 
theirs  is  from  good  works  ;  for  it  is  better  to  plough  than  to 
dance.  They  rest  from  good  work,  they  rest  not  from  idle 
work."  ^ 

I  Buxtorf,  Dc  Syn.  Jud.  pp.  352-356.  The  same  author  states  that  it  was  a  breach 
of  the  law  to  let  a  cock  wear  a  piece  of  ribbon  round  its  leg  on  Sabbath :  it  was  making 
it  bear  something.  It  was  also  forbidden  to  walk  through  a  stream  on  stilts,  because, 
though  the  stilts  appear  to  bear  you,  you  really  carry  the  stilts.  These  were  probably 
later  refinements. 

-  Ex.  xvi.  23. 

3  They  appealed,  in  justification  of  this  practice,  to  Neh.  viii.   10. 

■♦  Luke  xiv.  i. 

s  Luke  xiv.  7-24. 

6  Enarratio  in  Psalnmm  xci.  (xcii.)  2.  Similar  complaints  were  made  by  other 
Fathers,  such  as  Prudentius  and  Chrysostom.     Vide  Bingham,  B.  x.x.  c.  ii. 


Lessons  ifi  Religious  Liberty.  91 

From  the  folly  and  pedantry  of  scribes  and  Pharisees  we 
gladly  turn  to  the  wisdom  of  Jesus,  as  revealed  in  the  ani- 
mated, deep,  and  yet  sublimely  simple  replies  made  by  Him 
to  the  various  charges  of  Sabbath-breaking  brought  against 
Himself  and  His  disciples.  Before  considering  these  replies 
in  detail,  we  premise  one  general  remark  concerning  them 
all.  In  none  of  these  apologies  or  defences  does  Jesus  call 
in  question  the  obligation  of  the  Sabbath  law.  On  that  point 
He  had  no  quarrel  with  His  accusers.  His  argument  in  this 
instance  is  entirely  different  from  the  line  of  defence  adopted 
in  reference  to  fasting  and  purifications.  In  regard  to  fast- 
ing, the  position  He  took  up  was  :  Fasting  is  a  voluntary 
matter,  and  men  may  fast  or  not  as  they  are  disposed.  In 
regard  to  purification  His  position  was  :  Ceremonial  ablutions 
at  best  are  of  secondary  moment,  being  mere  types  of  inward 
purity,  and  as  practised  now,  lead  inevitably  to  the  utter 
ignoring  of  spiritual  purity,  and  therefore  must  be  neglected 
by  all  who  are  concerned  for  the  great  interests  of  morality. 
But  in  reference  to  the  alleged  breaches  of  the  Sabbath,  the 
position  Jesus  took  up  was  this  :  These  acts  which  you  con- 
demn are  not  transgressions  of  the  law,  rightly  apprehended, 
in  its  spirit  and  principle.  The  importance  of  the  law  was 
conceded,  but  the  pharisaic  interpretation  of  its  meaning  was 
rejected.  An  appeal  was  made  from  their  pedantic  code  of 
regulations  about  Sabbath  observance  to  the  grand  design 
and  principle  of  the  law ;  and  the  right  was  asserted  to 
examine  all  rules  in  the  light  of  the  principle,  and  to  reject 
or  disregard  those  in  which  the  principle  had  either  been 
mistakenly  applied,  or,  as  was  for  the  most  part  the  case  with 
the  Pharisees,  lost  sight  of  altogether. 

The  key  to  all  Christ's  teaching  on  the  Sabbath,  therefore, 
lies  in  His  conception  of  the  original  design  of  that  divine 
institution.  This  conception  we  find  expressed  with  epigram- 
matic point  and  conciseness,  in  contrast  to  the  pharisaic  idea 
of  the  Sabbath,  in  words  uttered  by  Jesus  on  the  occasion 
when  He  was  defending  His  disciples.  "The  Sabbath,"  said 
He,  "was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath."  In 
other  words.  His  doctrine  was  this  :  The  Sabbath  was  meant 
to  be  a  boon  to  man,  not  a  bnrden ;  it  was  not  a  day  taken 
from  man  by  God  in  an  exacting  spirit,  but  a  day  given  by 


92  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

God  in  mercy  to  man  —  God's  holiday  to  His  subjects;  all 
legislation  enforcing  its  observance  having  for  its  end  to 
insure  that  all  should  really  get  the  benefit  of  the  boon  — 
that  no  man  should  rob  himself,  and  still  less  his  fellow- 
creatures,  of  the  gracious  boon. 

This  difference  between  Christ's  mode  of  regarding  the 
Sabbath  and  the  pharisaic  involves  of  necessity  a  correspond- 
ing difference  in  the  spirit  and  the  details  of  its  observance. 
Take  Christ's  view,  and  your  principle  becomes  :  That  is  the 
best  way  of  observing  the  Sabbath  which  is  most  conducive 
to  man's  physical  and  spiritual  well-being — in  other  words, 
which  is  best  for  his  body  and  for  his  soul ;  and  in  the  light 
of  this  principle,  you  will  keep  the  holy  day  in  a  spirit  of 
intelligent  joy  and  thankfulness  to  God  the  Creator  for  His 
gracious  consideration  towards  His  creatures.  Take  the 
pharisaic  view,  and  your  principle  of  observance  becomes  : 
He  best  keeps  the  Sabbath  who  goes  greatest  lengths  in  mere 
abstinence  from  any  thing  that  can  be  construed  into  labor, 
irrespective  of  the  effect  of  this  abstinence  either  on  his  own 
well-being  or  on  that  of  others.  In  short,  we  land  in  the 
silly,  senseless  minuteness  of  a  rabbinical  legislation,  which 
sees  in  such  an  act  as  that  of  the  disciples  p_  icicing  and  rub- 
bing the  ears  of  corn,  or  that  of  the  healed  man  who  carried 
his  bed  home  on  his  shoulders,'  or  that  of  one  who  should 
walk  a  greater  distance  than  two  thousand  cubits,  or  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile,^  on  a  Sabbath,  a  heinous  offence  against 
the  fourth  commandment  and  its  Author. 

A  Sabbath  observance  regulated  by  the  principle  that  the 
institution  was  made  for  man's  good,  obviously  involves  two 
great  general  uses  —  rest  for  the  body,  and  worship  as  the 
solace  of  the  spirit.  We  should  rest  from  servile  labor  on 
the  divinely  given  holiday,  and  we  should  lift  up  our  hearts 
in  devout  thought  to  Him  who  made  all  things  at  the  first, 
who  "  worketh  hitherto,"  preserving  the  creation  in  being 
and  well-being,  and  whose  tender  compassion  towards  sinful 
men   is  great,  passing   knowledge.     These  things  are  both 

'  John  V.  10. 

2  This  was  the  limit  of  a  Sabbath-day  journey  according  to  the  scribes.  •  It  was  fixed 
by  the  distance  between  the  wall  of  a  Levitical  city  and  the  outside  boundary  of  its 
suburb.  There  were  casuistical  contrivances  for  lengthening  the  journey.  See  Num. 
XXXV.  5 ;  and  Buxtorf,  De  Syn.  Jud.  c.  xvi. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  93 

necessary  to  man's  true  good,  and  therefore  must  enter  as 
essential  elements  of  a  worthy  Sabbath  observance. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Sabbath  being  made  for  man, 
the  two  general  requirements  of  rest  and  worship  may  not  be 
so  pressed  that  they  shall  become  hostile  to  man's  well-being, 
and  in  effect  self-destructive,  or  mutually  destructive.  The 
rule,  "Thou  shalt  rest,"  must  not  be  so  applied  as  to  exclude 
all  action  and  all  work ;  for  absolute  inaction  is  7iot  rest,  and 
entire  abstinence  from  work  of  every  description  would  often- 
times be  detrimental  both  to  private  and  to  public  well-being. 
Room  must  be  left  for  acts  of  "  necessity  and  mercy ; "  and 
too  peremptory  as  well  as  too  minute  legislation  as  to  what 
are  and  v/hat  are  not  acts  of  either  description  must  be  avoided, 
as  these  may  vary  for  different  persons,  times,  and  circum- 
stances, and  men  may  honestly  differ  in  opinion  in  such 
details  who  are  perfectly  loyal  to  the  great  broad  principles 
of  Sabbath  sanctification.  In  like  manner,  the  rule,  "  Thou 
shalt  worship,"  must  not  be  so  enforced  as  to  make  religious 
duties  irksome  and  burdensome  —  a  mere  mechanical,  legal 
service  ;  or  so  as  to  involve  the  sacrifice  of  the  other  great 
practical  end  of  the  Sabbath,  viz.,  rest  to  the  animal  nature  of 
man.  Nor  may  men  dictate  to  each  other  as  to  the  means 
of  worship  any  more  than  as  to  the  amount ;  for  one  may 
find  helps  to  devotion  in  means  which  to  another  would  prove 
a  hindrance  and  a  distraction. 

It  was  only  in  regard  to  cessation  from  work  that  pharisaic 
legislation  and  practice  anent  Sabbath  observance  were 
carried  to  superstitious  and  vexatious  excess.  The  Sabbatic 
mania  v/as  a  monomania,  those  affected  thereby  being  mad 
simply  on  one  point,  the  stringent  enforcement  of  rest. 
Hence  the  peculiar  character  of  all  the  charges  brought 
against  Christ  and  His  disciples,  and  also  of  His  replies. 
The  offences  committed  were  all  works  deemed  unlawful ; 
and  the  defences  all  went  to  show  that  the  works  done  were 
not  contrary  to  law  when  the  law  was  interpreted  in  the  light 
of  the  principle  that  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man.  They 
were  works  of  necessity  or  of  mercy,  and  therefore  lawful  on 
the  Sabbath-day. 

Jesus  drew  His  proofs  of  this  position  from  three  sources  : 
Scripture   history,  the   everyday  practice  of   the   Pharisees 


94  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

themselves,  and  the  providence  of  God.  In  defence  of  His 
disciples,  He  referred  to  the  case  of  David  eating  the  shew- 
bread  when  he  fled  to  the  house  of  God  from  the  court  of 
King  Saul,'  and  to  the  constant  practice  of  the  priests  in 
doing  work  for  the  service  of  the  temple  on  Sabbath-days, 
such  as  offering  double  burnt-offerings,  and  removing  the 
stale  shewbread  from  the  holy  place,  and  replacing  it  by  hot 
loaves.  David's  case  proved  the  general  principle  that 
necessity  has  no  law,  hunger  justifying  his  act,  as  it  should 
also  have  justified  the  act  of  the  disciples  even  in  pharisaic 
eyes.  The  practice  of  the  priests  showed  that  work  merely 
as  work  is  not  contrary  to  the  law  of  the  Sabbath,  some  works 
being  not  only  lawful,  but  incumbent  on  that  day. 

The  argument  drawn  by  Jesus  from  common  practice  was 
well  fitted  to  silence  captious  critics,  and  to  suggest  the  prin- 
ciple by  which  His  own  conduct  could  be  defended.  It  was 
to  this  effect  :  "  You  would  lift  an  ox  or  an  ass  out  of  a  pit 
on  Sabbath,  would  you  not  .■*  Why .''  To  save  life  .-•  Why 
then  should  not  I  heal  a  sick  person  for  the  same  reason.-* 
Or  is  a  beast's  life  of  more  importance  than  that  of  a  human 
being }  Or  again  :  Would  you  scruple  to  loose  your  ox  or 
your  ass  from  the  stall  on  the  day  of  rest,  and  lead  him  away 
to  watering }  ^  If  not,  why  object  to  me  when  on  the  Sabbath- 
day  I  release  a  poor  human  victim  from  a  bondage  of  eighteen 
years'  duration,  that  she  may  draw  water  out  of  the  wells 
of  salvation  1 "  The  argument  is  irresistible,  the  conclusion 
inevitable ;  that  it  is  lawful,  dutiful,  most  seasonable,  to 
do  ivell  on  the  Sabbath-day.  How  blind  they  must  have 
been  to  whom  so  obvious  a  proposition  needed  to  be  proved ! 
how  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  love  is  the  foundation  and  ful- 
filment of  all  law,  and  that  therefore  no  particular  precept 
could  ever  be  meant  to  suspend  the  operation  of  that  divine 
principle  ! 

The  argument  from  providence  used  by  Jesus  on  another 
occasion  3  was  designed  to  serve  the  same  purpose  with  the 
others,  viz.,  to  show  the  lawfulness  of  certain  kinds  of  work 

'  I  Sam.  xxi.  6.  This  occurred  on  Sabbath,  for  the  old  shewbread  was  replaced  by 
new  on  that  day  (hot  loaves  baked  on  Sabbath).  But  this  is  not  the  point  insisted  on 
by  Christ. 

2  Luke  xiii.  14,  15. 

3  John  V.  17. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  95 

on  the  day  of  rest.  "My  Father  worketh  even  until  now,"  said 
He  to  His  accusers,  "and  I  work."  The  Son  claimed  the 
right  to  work  because  and  as  the  Father  worked  on  all  days 
of  the  week.  The  Father  worked  incessantly  for  beneficent, 
conservative  ends,  most  holily,  wisely,  and  powerfully  pre- 
serving and  governing  all  His  creatures  and  all  their  actions, 
keeping  the  planets  in  their  orbits,  causing  the  sun  to  rise 
and  shine,  and  the  winds  to  circulate  in  their  courses,  and 
the  tides  to  ebb  and  flow  on  the  seventh  day  as  on  all  the 
other  six.  So  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of  God,  claimed  the 
right  to  work,  and  did  work  —  saving,  restoring,  healing;  as 
far  as  might  be  bringing  fallen  nature  back  to  its  pristine 
state,  when  God  the  Creator  pronounced  all  things  good, 
and  rested,  satisfied  with  the  world  He  had  brought  into 
being.  Such  works  of  beneficence,  by  the  doctrine  of  Christ, 
may  always  be  done  on  the  Sabbath-day  :  works  of  humanity, 
like  those  of  the  physician,  or  of  the  teacher  of  neglected 
children,  or  of  the  philanthropist  going  his  rounds  among 
the  poor  and  needy,  or  of  the  Christian  minister  preaching  the 
gospel  of  peace,  and  many  others,  of  which  men  filled  with 
love  will  readily  bethink  themselves,  but  whereof  too  many, 
in  the  coldness  of  their  heart,  do  not  so  much  as  dream. 
Against  such  works  there  is  no  law  save  that  of  churlish, 
ungenial,  pharisaic  custom. 

One  other  saying  our  Lord  uttered  on  the  present  subject, 
which  carries  great  weight  for  Christians,  though  it  can  have 
had  no  apologetic  value  in  the  opinion  of  the  Pharisees,  but 
must  rather  have  appeared  an  aggravation  of  the  offence  it  was 
meant  to  excuse.  We  refer  to  the  word,  "The  Son  of  man  is 
Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath-day,"  uttered  by  Jesus  on  the  occa- 
sion when  He  defended  His  disciples  against  the  charge  of 
Sabbath-breaking.  This  statement,  remarkable,  like  the  claim 
made  at  the  same  time  to  be  greater  than  the  temple,  as  an 
assertion  of  superhuman  dignity  on  the  part  of  the  meek  and 
lowly  One,  was  not  meant  as  a  pretension  to  the  right  to 
break  the  law  of  rest  without  cause,  or  to  abrogate  it  alto- 
gether. This  is  evident  from  Mark's  account,'  where  the  words 
come  in  as  an  inference  from  the  proposition  that  the  Sabbath 
was  made  for  man,  which  could  not  logically  be  made  the 

'  Mark  ii.  27,  28. 


96  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

foundation  for  a  repeal  of  the  statute,  seeing  it  is  the  most 
powerful  argument  for  the  perpetuity  of  the  weekly  rest.  Had 
the  Sabbath  been  a  mere  burdensome  restriction  imposed  on 
men,  we  should  have  expected  its  abrogation  from  Him  who 
came  to  redeem  men  from  all  sorts  of  bondage.  But  was  the 
Sabbath  made /ijr  man  —  for  man's  good  .-'  Then  should  we 
expect  Christ's  function  to  be  not  that  of  a  repealer,  but  that 
of  a  universal  philantnropic  legislator,  makiiig  what  had  pre- 
viously been  the  peculiar  privilege  of  Israel  a  common  bless- 
ing to  all  mankind.  P'^or  the  Father  sent  His  Son  into  the 
world  to  deliver  men  indeed  from  the  yoke  of  ordinances, 
but  not  to  cancel  any  of  His  gifts,  which  are  all  "without 
repentance,"  and,  once  given,  can  never  be  withdrawn. 

What,  then,  does  the  lordship  of  Christ  over  the  Sabbath 
signify }  Simply  this  :  that  an  institution  which  is  of  the  nature 
of  a  boon  to  man  properly  falls  under  the  control  of  Him  who 
is  the  King  of  grace  and  the  administrator  of  divine  mercy. 
He  is  the  best  judge  how  such  an  institution  should  be  ob- 
served ;  and  He  has  a  right  to  see  that  it  shall  not  be  perverted 
from  a  boon  into  a  burden,  and  so  put  in  antagonism  to  the 
royal  imperial  law  of  love.  The  Son  of  man  hath  authority 
to  cancel  all  regulations  tending  in  this  direction  emanating 
from  men,  and  even  all  by-laws  of  the  Mosaic  code  savoring 
of  legal  rigor,  and  tending  to  veil  the  beneficent  design  of 
the  fourth  commandment  of  the  decalogue.'  He  may,  in  the 
exercise  of  His  mediatorial  prerogative,  give  the  old  institu- 
tion a  new  name,  alter  the  day  of  its  celebration,  so  as  to 
invest  it  with  distinctively  Christian  associations  congenial 
to  the  hearts  of  believers,  and  make  it  in  all  the  details  of  its 
observance  subservient  to  the  great  ends  of  His  incarnation. 

•  The  position  of  the  Sabbath  in  the  decalogue  (where  nothing  is  placed  which  was 
of  merely  Jewish  concern,  and  which  was  not  of  fundamental  importance)  is  a  pre- 
sumption of  perpetuity  for  every  candid  mind.  The  much  disputed  question  of  the  ethical 
nature  of  the  Sabbath  law  is  not  of  so  great  moment  as  has  been  imagined.  Moral 
or  not,  the  weekly  rest  is  to  all  men,  and  at  all  times,  of  vital  importance ;  therefore  prac- 
tically, if  not  philosophically,  of  ethical  value.  The  fourth  commandment  certainly 
differs  from  the  others  in  this  respect,  that  it  is  not  written  on  the  natural  conscience. 
The  utmost  length  reason  could  go  would  be  to  determine  that  rest  is  needful.  Whether 
rest  should  be  periodical  or  at  irregular  intervals,  on  the  seventh  day  or  on  the  tenth,  as 
in  revolutionary  France,  with  its  mania  for  the  decimal  system,  the  light  of  nature  could 
not  teach.  But  the  decalogue  settles  that  point,  and  settles  it  forever,  for  all  who 
believe  in  the  divine  origin  of  the  Mosaic  legislation.  The  fourth  commandment  is  a 
revelation  for  all  time  of  God's  mind  on  the  universally  important  ciuestion  of  the  proper 
relation  between  labor  and  rest. 


Lessons  in  Religious  Liberty.  97 

To  such  effect  did  the  Son  of  man  clahn  to  be  Lord  of  the 
Sabbath-day ;  and  His  claim,  so  understood,  was  acknowl 
edged  by  the  church,  when,  following  the  traces  of  the  apos- 
tolic usage,  she  changed  the  weekly  rest  from  the  seventh 
day  to  the  first,' that  it  might  commemorate  the  joyful  event 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  Saviour,  which  lay  nearer  the  heart 
of  a  believer  than  the  old  event  of  the  creation,  and  called 
the  first  day  by  His  name,  the  Lord's  day.^  That  claim  all 
Christians  acknowledge  who,  looking  at  the  day  in  the  light 
of  God's  original  design,  and  of  Christ's  teaching,  example^- 
and  work,  so  observe  it  as  to  keep  the  golden  mean  between 
the  two  extremes  of  pharisaic  rigor  and  of  Sadducaic  laxity : 
recognizing  on  the  one  hand  the  beneficent  ends  served  by 
the  institution,  and  doing  their  utmost  to  secure  that  these 
ends  shall  be  fully  realized,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  avoiding 
the  petty  scrupulosity  of  a  cheerless  legalism,  which  causes 
many,  especially  among  the  young,  to  stumble  at  the  law  as 
a  statute  of  unreasonable  arbitrary  restriction  ;  avoiding  also 
the  bad  pharisaic  habit  of  indulging  in  over-confident  judg- 
ments on  difficult  points  of  detail,  and  on  the  conduct  of 
those  who  in  such  points  do  not  think  and  act  as  they  do 
themselves. 

We  may  not  close  this  chapter,  in  which  we  have  been 
studying  the  lessons  in  free  yet  holy  living  given  by  our 
Lord  to  His  disciples,  without  adding  a  reflection  applicable 
to  all  the  three.  By  these  lessons  the  twelve  were  taught  a 
virtue  very  necessary  for  the  apostles  of  a  religion  in  many 

*  How  this  change  was  brought  about  we  do  not  well  know.  Probably  it  was  accom- 
plished by  degiees,  and  without  full  consciousness  of  the  transition  which  was  being 
made,  or  of  its  import.  From  the  beginning  believers  seem  to  have  met  for  worship  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week ;  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  they  rested  entirely  from  work  on 
that  day.  In  many  cases  they  could  not  have  done  so  if  they  wished,  e.g.  in  the  case  of 
slaves  of  heathen  masters.  Hence,  probably,  we  may  account  for  the  church  in  Troas 
meeting  in  the  evening,  and  worshipping  till  midnight.  The  likelihood  is  that  the  first 
Christians  rested  on  the  seventh  day  as  Jews,  and  as  Christians  worshipped  on  the  morn- 
ing or  evening  of  the  first  day,  before  or  after  their  daily  toil.  In  course  of  time,  as 
Jewish  believers  became  more  weaned  from  Judaism,  the  Gentile  worshippers  multiplied, 
so  as  to  have  a  preponderating  influence  on  the  customs  of  the  church,  the  seventh-day 
rest  would  disappear,  and  the  first-day  rest,  the  Lord's  day,  would  take  its  place.  To 
prevent  misapprehension,  it  is  necessary  to  explain  that  the  seventh  day  continued  to  be 
observed  as  a  fast-day  or  a  festival,  with  religious  services,  long  after  it  had  ceased  to 
be  regarded  as  a  day  on  which  men  ought  entirely  to  rest  from  labor.  Vide  on  this, 
Bingham,  Origines  Ecclesiastics,  B.  xx.  c.  iii. 

2  In  Greek  KvpiaKr]  ijix^pa,  or  simply  ij  KvpiaKri ;  in  Latin  Dies  Dominicus.  Thus  in 
Tertullian,  De  Corona,  iii.,  "  Die  Dominico  jejunium  nefas  ducimus." 


98  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

respects  new  —  the  power  to  bear  isolation  and  its  con- 
sequences. When  Peter  and  John  appeared  before  the 
Sanhedrim,  the  rulers  marvelled  at  their  boldness,  till  they 
recognized  in  them  companions  of  Jesus  the  Nazarene. 
They  seem  to  have  imagined  that  His  followers  were  fit  for 
any  thing  requiring  audacity.  They  were  right.  The 
apostles  had  strong  nerves,  and  were  not  easily  daunted ; 
and  the  lessons  which  we  have  been  considering  help  us  to 
understand  whence  they  got  their  rare  moral  courage. 
They  had  been  accustomed  for  years  to  stand  alone,  and  to 
disregard  the  fashion  of  the  world,  till  at  length  they 
could  do  what  was  right,  heedless  of  human  criticism,  with- 
out effort,  almost  without  thought. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FIRST   ATTEMPTS   AT   EVANGELISM. 

Section  I.  —  The  Mission. 

Matt.  x.  ;  Mark  vi.  7-13,  30-32 ;  Luke  ix.  i-ii. 

The  twelve  are  now  to  come  before  us  as  active  agents  in 
advancing  the  kingdom  of  God.  Having  been  for  some  time 
in  Clirist's  company,  witnessing  His  miraculous  works, 
hearing  His  doctrine  concerning  the  kingdom,  and  learning 
how  to  pray  and  how  to  live,  they  were  at  length  sent  forth 
to  evangelize  the  towns  and  villages  of  their  native  province, 
and  to  heal  the  sick  in  their  Master's  name,  and  by  His 
power.  This  mission  of  the  disciples  as  evangelists  or 
miniature  apostles  was  partly,  without  doubt,  an  educational 
experiment  for  their  own  benefit  ;  but  its  direct  design  was 
to  meet  the  spiritual  necessities  of  the  people,  whose 
neglected  condition  lay  heavy  on  Christ's  heart.  The  com- 
passionate Son  of  man,  in  the  course  of  His  wanderings, 
had  observed  how  the  masses  of  the  population  were,  like 
a  shepherdless  flock  of  sheep,  scattered  and  torn,^  and  it  was 
His  desire  that  all  should  know  that  a  good  Shepherd  had 
come  to  care  for  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  The 
multitudes  were  ready  enough  to  welcome  the  good  news ; 
the  difificulty  was  to  meet  the  pressing  demand  of  the  hour. 
The  harvest,  the  grain,  ready  for  reaping,  was  plenteous,  but 
the  laborers  were  few.^ 

In  connection  with  this  mission  four  things  call  for  special 
notice :  The  sphere  assigned  for  the  work,  the  nature  of 
the  work,  the  instructions  for  carrying  it  on,  the  results  of  the 
mission,  and  the  return  of  the  missionaries.     These  points 

*  eo-KuAnie'i'oi,  Matt.  ix.  36,  the  reading  preferred  by  critics  =  flayed,  harassed.     The 
idea  suggested  is  that  of  sheep  whose  fleeces  are  torn  by  thorns. 
2  Matt.  ix.  yj. 

99 


lOO  The  Trai fling  of  the  Twelve. 

we  shall  consider  in  their  order,  except  that,  for  convenience, 
we  shall  reserve  Christ's  instructions  to  His  disciples  for  the 
last  place,  and  give  them  a  section  to  themselves. 

I.  The  sphere  of  the  mission,  as  described  in  general 
terms,  was  the  whole  land  of  Israel.  "Go,"  said  Jesus  to 
the  twelve,  "  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel ;  "  and 
further  on,  in  Matthew's  narrative,  He  speaks  to  them  as  if 
the  plan  of  the  mission  involved  a  visit  to  all  the  cities  of 
Israel.'  Practically,  however,  the  operations  of  the  disciples 
seem  to  have  been  restricted  to  their  native  province  of 
Galilee,  and  even  within  its  narrow  limits  to  have  been 
carried  on  rather  among  the  villages  and  hamlets,  than  in 
considerable  towns  or  cities  like  Tiberias.  The  former  of 
these  statements  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  the  doings 
of  the  disciples  attracted  the  attention  of  Herod  the  tetrarch 
of  Galilee,^  which  implies  that  they  took  place  in  his 
neighborhood  ;  ^  while  the  latter  is  proved  by  the  words  of 
the  third  evangelist  in  giving  a  summary  account  of  the 
mission  :  "  They  departed  and  went  through  the  villages 
(towns,  Eng.  Ver.),  preaching  the  gospel,  and  healing 
everywhere."  '* 

While  the  apprentice  missionaries  were  permitted  by  their 
instructions  to  go  to  any  of  the  lost  sheep  of  Israel,  to  all  if 
practicable,  they  were  expressly  forbidden  to  extend  their 
labors  beyond  these  limits.  They  were  not  to  go  into  the 
way  of  the  Gentiles,  nor  enter  into  any  city  or  town  of 
the  Samaritans. 5  This  prohibition  arose  in  part  out  of  the 
general  plan  which  Christ  had  formed  for  founding  the  king- 
dom of  God  on  the  earth.  His  ultimate  aim  was  the 
conquest  of  the  world  ;  but  in  order  to  that.  He  deemed  it 
necessary  first  to  secure  a  strong  base  of  operations  in  the 
Holy  Land  and  among  the  chosen  people.  Therefore  He 
ever  regarded  Himself  personally  as  a  Messenger  of  God  to 
the  Jewish  nation,  seriously  giving  that  as  a  reason  why 
He  should  not  work  among  the  heathen,^  and  departing 
occasionally  from  the  rule  only  in  order  to  supply  in  His 
own  ministry  prophetic  intimations  of  an  approaching  time 

*  Matt.  X.  6,  23.  <  Luke  ix.  6,  Kara  tA?  kw/aos  =  "  villages,"  R.V. 

2  Mark  vi.  14  ;  Luke  ix.  7.  5  Matt.  x.  5. 

3  Herod  resided  at  Tiberias.  *  Matt.  xv.  24. 


First  Attempts  at  Evangelism.  loi 

when  Jew  and  Samaritan  and  Gentile  should  be  united  on 
equal  terms  in  one  divine  commonwealth.'  But  the  principal 
reason  of  the  prohibition  lay  in  the  present  spiritual  condi- 
tion of  the  disciples  themselves.  The  time  would  come 
when  Jesus  might  say  to  His  chosen  ones,  "  Go  ye  into  all 
the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature ;"  ^  but 
that  time  was  not  yet.  The  twelve,  at  the  period  of  their 
first  trial  mission,  were  not  fit  to  preach  the  gospel,  or  to  do 
good  works,  either  among  Samaritans  or  Gentiles.  Their 
hearts  were  too  narrow,  their  prejudices  too  strong  :  there 
was  too  much  of  the  Jew,  too  little  of  the  Christian,  in  their 
character.  For  the  catholic  work  of  the  apostleship  they 
needed  a  new  divine  illumination  and  a  copious  baptism 
with  the  benignant  spirit  of  love.  Suppose  these  raw 
evangelists  had  gone  into  a  Samaritan  village,  what  would 
have  happened  .-*  In  all  probability  they  would  have  been 
drawn  into  disputes  on  the  religious  differences  between 
Samaritans  and  Jews,  in  which,  of  course,  they  would  have 
lost  their  temper  ;  so  that,  instead  of  seeking  the  salvation 
of  the  people  among  whom  they  had  come,  they  would  rather 
be  in  a  mood  to  call  down  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  them, 
as  they  actually  proposed  to  do  at  a  subsequent  period.^ 

2.  The  work  intrusted  to  the  twelve  was  in  one  depart- 
ment very  extensive,  and  in  the  other  very  limited.  They 
were  endowed  with  unlimited  powers  of  healing,  but  their 
commission  was  very  restricted  so  far  as  preaching  was  con- 
cerned. In  regard  to  the  former  their  instructions  were  : 
"  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out 
devils  :  freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give  ;  "  in  regard  to 
the  latter :  "  As  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand."-*  The  commission  in  the  one  case  seems 
too  wide,  in  the  other  too  narrow  ;  but  in  both  the  wisdom 
of  Jesus  is  apparent  to  a  deeper  consideration.  In  so  far 
as  miraculous  works  were  concerned,  there  was  no  need  for 
restriction,  unless  it  were  to  avoid    the    risk    of   producing 

'  John  iv.  7-24.  ^  Mark  xvi.  15. 

3  Luke  ix.  54.  Some  have  imagined  that  the  restriction  proceeded  from  the  limitation 
of  Christ's  own  aims.  But  had  His  aim  been  as  limited  as  is  supposed,  there  would 
have  been  no  mention  of  restrictions,  and  no  need  for  them,  for  the  disciples  would  never 
have  thought  of  going  among  the  Samaritans  or  Gentiles  to  preach  and  heal. 

*  Matt.  X.  7,  8. 


I02  The  Trainmg  of  the   Twelve. 

elation  and  vanity  in  those  who  wielded  such  wonderful 
power  — a  risk  which  was  certainly  not  imaginary,  but  which 
could  be  remedied  when  it  assumed  tangible  form.  All 
the  miracles  wrought  by  the  twelve  were  really  wrought  by 
Jesus  Himself,  their  sole  function  consisting  in  making  a 
believing  use  of  His  name.  This  seems  to  have  been 
perfectly  understood  by  all  ;  for  the  works  done  by  the 
apostles  did  not  lead  the  people  of  Galilee  to  wonder  who 
tJiey  were,  but  only  who  and  what  He  was  in  whose  name  all 
these  things  were  done.'  Therefore,  it  being  Christ's  will 
that  such  miracles  should  be  wrought  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  His  disciples,  it  was  just  as  easy  for  them  to  do 
the  greatest  works  as  to  do  the  smaller ;  if,  indeed,  there  be 
any  sense  in  speaking  of  degrees  of  difficulty  in  connection 
with  miracles,  which  is  more  than  doubtful. 

As  regards  the  preaching,  on  the  other  hand,  there  was 
not  only  reason,  but  necessity,  for  restriction.  The  disciples 
could  do  no  more  than  proclaim  the  fact  that  the  kingdom 
was  at  hand,  and  bid  men  everywhere  repent,  by  way  of  a 
preparation  for  its  advent.  This  was  really  all  they  knew 
themselves.  They  did  not  as  yet  understand,  in  the  least 
degree,  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  ;  they  did  not  even  know 
the  nature  of  the  kingdom.  They  had,  indeed,  heard  their 
Master  discourse  profoundly  thereon,  but  they  had  not 
comprehended  his  words.  Their  ideas  respecting  the 
coming  kingdom  were  nearly  as  crude  and  carnal  as  were 
those  of  other  Jews,  who  looked  for  the  restoration  of 
Israel's  political  independence  and  temporal  prosperity  as 
in  the  glorious  days  of  old.  In  one  point  only  were  they  in 
advance  of  current  notions.  They  had  learned  from  John 
and  from  Jesus  that  repentance  was  necessary  in  order  to 
citizenship  in  this  kingdom.  In  all  other  respects  they  and 
their  hearers  were  pretty  much  on  a  level.  Far  from 
wondering,  therefore,  that  the  preaching  programme  of  the 
disciples  was  so  limited,  we  are  rather  tempted  to  wonder 
how  Christ  could  trust  them  to  open  their  mouths  at  all, 
even  on  the  one  topic  of  the  kingdom.  Was  there  not  a 
a  danger  that  men  with  such  crude  ideas  might  foster  delu- 
sive hopes,   and  give    rise   to    political    excitement.''     Nay, 

*  Mark  vi.  14,  "  His  name  was  spread  abroad"  {^o.vt(tov  iyivita). 


First  Attempts  at  Evangelism.  103 

may  we  not  discover  actual  traces  of  such  excitement  in  the 
notice  taken  of  their  movements  at  Herod's  court,  and  in  the 
proposal  of  the  multitude  not  long  after,  to  take  Jesus  by 
force  to  make  Him  a  king  ?  '  Doubtless  there  was  danger 
in  this  direction ;  and  therefore,  while  He  could  not,  to 
avoid  it,  leave  the  poor  perishing  people  uncared  for,  Jesus 
took  all  possible  precautions  to  obviate  mischief  as  far  as 
might  be,  by  in  effect  prohibiting  His  messengers  from 
entering  into  detail  on  the  subject  of  the  kingdom,  and  by 
putting  a  sound  form  of  words  into  their  mouths.  They 
were  instructed  to  announce  the  kingdom  as  a  kingdom  of 
heaven;'^  a  thing  which  some  might  deem  a  lovely  vision, 
but  which  all  worldly  men  would  guess  to  be  quite  another 
thing  from  what  they  desired.  A  kingdom  of  heaven ! 
What  was  that  to  them }  What  they  wanted  was  a  kingdom 
of  earth,  in  which  they  might  live  peaceably  and  happily 
under  just  government,  and,  above  all,  with  plenty  to  eat 
and  drink.  A  kingdom  of  heaven !  That  was  only  for  such 
as  had  no  earthly  hope  ;  a  refuge  from  despair,  a  melancholy 
consolation  in  absence  of  any  better  comfort.  Even  so,  ye 
worldlings  !  Only  for  such  as  ye  deem  miserable  was  the 
message  meant.  To  the  poor  the  kingdom  was  to  be 
preached.  To  the  laboring  and  heavy  laden  was  the  invita- 
tion "  Come  to  me "  addressed,  and  the  promise  of  rest 
made ;  of  rest  from  ambition  and  discontent,  and  scheming, 
carking  care,  in  the  blessed  hope  of  the  supernal  and  the 
eternal. 

3.  The  impression  produced  by  the  labors  of  the  twelve 
seems  to  have  been  very  considerable.  The  fame  of  their 
doings,  as  already  remarked,  reached  the  ears  of  Herod,  and 
great  crowds  appear  to  have  accompanied  them  as  they 
moved  from  place  to  place.  On  their  return,  e.g.  from  the 
mission  to  rejoin  the  company  of  their  Master,  they  were 
thronged  by  an  eager,  admiring  multitude  who  had  witnessed 
or  experienced  the  benefits  of  their  work,  so  that  it  was 
necessary  for  them  to  withdraw  into  a  desert  place  in  order 

'  John  vi.  15. 

^  This  is  the  name  usually  given  to  the  kingdom  in  Matthew,  as  distinct  from  the 
other  evangelists,  who  employ  the  title  "  kingdom  of  God."  It  is  a  curious  fact  that 
the  most  Hebrew  Gospel  should  thus  use  the  most  spiritual  designation  for  the  kingdom. 


104  '^^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

to  obtain  a  quiet  interval  of  rest.  "There  were  many,"  the 
second  evangelist  informs  us,  "  coming  and  going,  and  they 
had  no  leisure  so  much  as  to  eat.  And  they  departed  unto 
a  desert  place  by  ship  privately."  '  Even  in  the  desert 
solitudes  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  they 
failed  to  secure  the  desired  privacy.  "  The  people  saw  them 
departing,  and  ran  afoot  thither  (round  the  end  of  the  sea) 
out  of  all  cities,  and  outwent  them,  and  came  together  unto 
Him."" 

In  quality  the  results  of  the  mission  appear  to  have  been 
much  less  satisfactory  than  in  their  extent.  The  religious 
impressions  produced  seem  to  have  been  in  a  great  measure 
superficial  and  evanescent.  There  were  many  blossoms,  so 
to  speak,  on  the  apple-tree  in  the  springtide  of  this  Galilean 
"  revival ;  "  but  only  a  comparatively  small  number  of  them 
set  in  fruit,  while  of  these  a  still  smaller  number  ever 
reached  the  stage  of  ripe  fruit.  This  we  learn  from  what 
took  place  shortly  after,  in  connection  with  Christ's 
discourse  on  the  bread  of  life,  in  the  synagogue  of 
Capernaum.  Then  the  same  men  who,  after  the  miraculous 
feeding  in  the  desert,  would  have  made  Christ  a  king, 
deserted  Him  in  a  body,  scandalized  by  His  mysterious 
doctrine ;  and  those  who  did  this  were,  for  the  most  part, 
just  the  men  who  had  listened  to  the  twelve  while  they 
preached  repentance.^ 

Such  an  issue  to  a  benevolent  undertaking  must  have  been 
deeply  disappointing  to  the  heart  of  Jesus.  Yet  it  is 
remarkable  that  the  comparative  abortiveness  of  the  first 
evangelistic  movement  did  not  prevent  Him  from  repeating 
the  experiment  some  time  after  on  a  still  more  extensive 
scale.  "  After  these  things,"  writes  the  third  evangelist, 
"  the  Lord  appointed  other  seventy  also,  and  sent  them  two 
and  two  before  His  face,  into  every  city  and  place  whither 
He  Himself  would  come."  "♦  The  Tubingen  school  of  critics, 
indeed,  as  we  have  already  indicated,^  assure  us  that  this 
mission  had  no  existence,  being  a  pure  invention  of  the  third 
evangelist,  intended  to  thrust  into  the  shade  the  mission  of 

'  Mark  vi.  31,  32.  ^  Luke  x.  i. 

2  Mark  vi.  33.  s   Vide  note,  p.  32. 

3  Compare  Mark  vi.  30-35  with  John  vi.  22-25. 


Fii^st  Attempts  at  Evaiigelism.  105 

the  twelve,  and  to  exhibit  the  Christian  religion  as  a  religion 
for  humanity,  represented  by  the  Samaritans  as  the 
recipients,  and  by  the  seventy  as  the  preachers  of  the  faith, 
the  number  corresponding  to  the  number  of  the  nations. 
The  theory  is  not  devoid  of  plausibility,  and  it  must  be 
owned  the  history  of  this  mission  is  very  obscure ;  but  the 
assumption  of  invention  is  violent,  and  we  may  safely  take 
for  granted  that  Luke's  narrative  rests  on  an  authentic 
tradition.  The  motive  of  this  second  mission  was  the  same 
as  in  the  case  of  the  first,  as  were  also  the  instructions  to 
the  missionaries.  Jesus  still  felt  deep  compassion  for  the 
perishing  multitude,  and  hoping  against  hope,  made  a  new 
attempt  to  save  the  lost  sheep.  He  would  have  all  men 
called  at  least  to  the  fellowship  of  the  kingdom,  even  though 
few  should  be  chosen  to  it.  And  when  the  immediate 
results  were  promising  He  was  gratified,  albeit  knowing, 
from  past  experience  as  well  as  by  divine  insight,  that  the 
faith  and  repentance  of  many  were  only  too  likely  to  be 
evanescent  as  the  early  dew.  When  the  seventy  returned 
from  their  mission,  and  reported  their  great  success.  He 
hailed  it  as  an  omen  of  the  downfall  of  Satan's  kingdom, 
and,  rejoicing  in  spirit,  gave  thanks  to  the  Supreme  Ruler  in 
heaven  and  earth,  His  Father,  that  while  the  things  of  the 
kingdom  were  hid  from  the  wise  and  the  prudent,  the  people 
of  intelligence  and  discretion,  they  were  by  His  grace 
revealed  unto  babes  —  the  rude,  the  poor,  the  ignorant.' 

The  reference  in  the  thanksgiving  prayer  of  Jesus  to  the 
"wise  and  prudent"  suggests  the  thought  that  these 
evangelistic  efforts  were  regarded  with  disfavor  by  the 
refined,  fastidious  classes  of  Jewish  religious  society.  This 
is  in  itself  probable.  There  are  always  men  in  the  church, 
intelligent,  wise,  and  even  good,  to  whom  popular  religious 
movements  are  distasteful.  The  noise,  the  excitement,  the 
extravagances,  the  delusions,  the  misdirection  of  zeal,  the 
rudeness  of  the  agents,  the  instability  of  the  converts  —  all 
these  things  offend  them.  The  same  class  of  minds  would 
have  taken  offence  at  the  evangelistic  work  of  the  twelve 
and  the  seventy,  for  undoubtedly  it  was  accompanied  with 
the  same  drawbacks.     The  agents  were  ignorant ;  they  had 

I  Luke  X.  17-21. 


io6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

few  ideas  in  their  heads  ;  they  understood  little  of  divine 
truth  ;  their  sole  qualification  was,  that  they  were  earnest 
and  could  preach  repentance  well.  Doubtless,  also,  there 
was  plenty  of  noise  and  excitement  among  the  multitudes 
who  heard  them  preach  ;  and  we  certainly  know  that  their 
zeal  was  both  ill-informed  and  short-lived.  These  things, 
in  fact,  are  standing  features  of  all  popular  movements. 
Jonathan  Edwards,  speaking  with  reference  co  the  "revival" 
of  religion  which  took  place  in  America  in  his  day,  says 
truly  :  "  A  great  deal  of  noise  and  tumult,  confusion  and 
uproar,  darkness  mixed  with  light,  and  evil  with  good,  is 
always  to  be  expected  in  the  beginning  of  something  very 
glorious  in  the  state  of  things  in  human  society  or  the 
church  of  God.  After  nature  has  long  been  shut  up  in  a 
cold,  dead  state,  when  the  sun  returns  in  the  spring,  there  is, 
together  with  the  increase  of  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun, 
very  tempestuous  weather  before  all  is  settled,  calm,  and 
serene,  and  all  nature  rejoices  in  its  bloom  and  beauty."  ' 

None  of  the  "wise  and  prudent"  knew  half  so  well  as 
Jesus  what  evil  would  be  mixed  with  the  good  in  the  work 
of  the  kingdom.  But  He  was  not  so  easily  offended  as  they. 
The  Friend  of  sinners  was  ever  like  Himself.  He  sympa- 
thized with  the  multitude,  and  could  not,  like  the  Pharisees, 
contentedly  resign  them  to  a  permanent  condition  of  igno- 
rance and  depravity.  He  rejoiced  greatly  over  even  one 
lost  sheep  restored  ;  and  He  was,  one  might  say  overjoyed, 
when  not  one,  but  a  whole  flock,  even  began  to  return  to  the 
fold.  It  pleased  Him  to  see  men  repenting  even  for  a 
season,  and  pressing  into  the  kingdom  even  rudely  and 
violently ;  ^  for  His  love  was  strong,  and  where  strong  love 
is,  even  wisdom  and  refinement  will  not  be  fastidious. 

Before  passing  from  this  topic,  let  us  observe  that  there  is 
another  class  of  Christians,  quite  distinct  from  the  wise  and 
prudent,  in  whose  eyes  such  evangelistic  labors  as  those  of 
the  twelve  stand  in  no  need  of  vindication.  Their  tendency, 
on  the  contrary,  is  to  regard  such  labors  as  the  whole  work 
of  the  kingdom.  Revival  of  religion  among  the  neglected 
masses  is  for  them  the  sum  of  all  good-doing.  Of  the  more 
still,  less  observable  work  of   instruction   going  on   in    the 

»   Thoughts  on  Revival,  Part  i.  sec.  iii.  *  Matt,  xi  12. 


First  Attempts  at  Evangelism.  107 

church  they  take  no  account  Where  there  is  no  obvious 
excitement,  the  church  in  their  view  is  dead,  and  her  ministry 
inefficient.  Such  need  to  be  reminded  that  there  were  tivo 
religious  movements  going  on  in  the  days  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
One  consisted  in  rousing  the  mass  out  of  the  stupor  of 
indifference ;  the  other  consisted  in  the  careful,  exact  train- 
ing of  men  already  in  earnest,  in  the  principles  and  truths 
of  the  divine  kingdom.  Of  the  one  movement  the  disciples, 
that  is,  both  the  twelve  and  the  seventy,  were  the  agents  ; 
of  the  other  movement  they  were  the  subjects.  And  the 
latter  movement,  though  less  noticeable,  and  much  more 
limited  m  extent,  was  by  far  more  important  than  the 
former ;  for  it  was  destined  to  bring  forth  fruit  that  should 
remain — to  tell  not  merely  on  the  present  time,  but  on  the 
whole  history  of  the  world.  The  deep  truths  which  the  great 
Teacher  was  now  quietly  and  unobservedly,  as  in  the  dark, 
instilling  into  the  minds  of  a  select  band,  the  recipients  of 
His  confidential  teaching  were  to  speak  in  the  broad  day- 
light ere  long  ;  and  the  sound  of  their  voice  would  not  stop 
till  it  had  gone  through  all  the  earth.  There  would  have 
been  a  poor  outlook  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  if  Christ  had 
neglected  this  work,  and  given  Himself  up  entirely  to  vague 
evangelism  among  the  masses, 

4,  When  the  twelve  had  finished  their  mission,  they 
returned  and  told  their  Master  all  that  they  had  done  and 
taught.  Of  their  report,  or  of  His  remarks  thereon,  no 
details  are  recorded.  Such  details  we  do  find,  however,  in 
connection  with  the  later  mission  of  the  seventy.  "  The 
seventy,"  we  read,  "  returned  again  with  joy,  saying.  Lord, 
even  the  devils  are  subject  unto  us  through  Thy  name."  ' 
The  same  evangelist  from  whom  these  words  are  quoted, 
informs  us  that,  after  congratulating  the  disciples  on  their 
success,  and  expressing  His  own  satisfaction  with  the  facts 
reported,  Jesus  spoke  to  them  the  warning  word  :  "Notwith- 
standing in  this  rejoice  not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto 
you  ;  but  rather  rejoice  because  your  names  are  written  in 
heaven."^  It  was  a  timely  caution  against  elation  and 
vanity.  It  is  very  probable  that  a  similar  word  of  caution 
was  addressed  to  the  twelve  also  after  their  return.     Such  a 

'  Luke  X.  17.  2  Luke  x.  20. 


io8  The  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

word  would  certainly  not  have  been  unseasonable  in  their 
case.  They  had  been  engaged  in  the  same  exciting  work, 
they  had  wielded  the  same  miraculous  powers,  they  had 
been  equally  successful,  they  were  equally  immature  in 
character,  and  therefore  it  was  equally  difficult  for  them  to 
bear  success.  It  is  most  likely,  therefore,  that  when  Jesus 
said  to  them  on  their  return,  "  Come  ye  yourselves  apart 
into  a  desert  place,  and  rest  awhile," '  He  was  not  caring  for 
their  bodies  alone,  but  was  prudently  seeking  to  provide 
repose  for  their  heated  minds  as  well  as  for  their  jaded 
frames. 

The  admonition  to  the  seventy  is  indeed  a  word  in  season 
to  all  who  are  very  zealous  in  the  work  of  evangelism,  espe- 
cially such  as  are  crude  in  knowledge  and  grace.  It  hints 
at  the  possibility  of  their  own  spiritual  health  being  injured 
by  their  very  zeal  in  seeking  the  salvation  of  others.  This 
may  happen  in  many  ways.  Success  may  make  the  evan- 
gelists vain,  and  they  may  begin  to  sacrifice  unto  their  own 
net.  They  may  fall  under  the  dominion  of  the  devil  through 
their  very  joy  that  he  is  subject  unto  them.  They  may 
despise  those  who  have  been  less  successful,  or  denounce 
them  as  deficient  in  zeal.  The  eminent  American  divine 
already  quoted  gives  a  lamentable  account  of  the  pride, 
presumption,  arrogance,  conceit,  and  censoriousness  which 
characterized  many  of  the  more  active  promoters  of  religious 
revival  in  his  day.^  Once  more,  they  may  fall  into  carnal 
security  respecting  their  own  spiritual  state,  deeming  it 
impossible  that  any  thing  can  go  wrong  with  those  who  are 
so  devoted,  and  whom  God  has  so  greatly  owned.  An 
obvious  as  well  as  dangerous  mistake  ;  for  doubtless  Judas 
took  part  in  this  Galilean  mission,  and,  for  aught  we  know  to 
the  contrary,  was  as  successful  as  his  fellow-disciples  in 
casting  out  devils.  Graceless  men  may  for  a  season  be 
employed  as  agents  in  promoting  the  work  of  grace  in  the 
hearts  of  others.  Usefulness  does  not  necessarily  imply 
goodness,  according  to  the  teaching  of  Christ  Himself. 
"Many,"  He  declares  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount," will  say 
unto  me  on  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  did  we  not  prophesy  by 
Thy  name,  and  by  Thy  name  cast  out  devils,  and  by  Thy 

'  Mark  vi.  31.  ^   Thoughts  on  Revival,  Part  iv. 


First  Attempts  at  Evangelism.  109 

name  do  many  wonderful  works?"  And  mark  the  answer 
which  He  says  He  will  give  such.  It  is  not:  I  call  in  ques- 
tion the  correctness  of  your  statement  —  that  is  tacitly 
admitted  ;  it  is  :  "I  never  knew  you  ;  depart  from  me,  ye 
that  work  iniquity."  ' 

These  solemn  words  suggest  the  need  of  watchfulness  and 
self-examination  ;  but  they  are  not  designed  to  discourage 
or  discountenance  zeal.  We  must  not  interpret  them  as  if 
they  meant,  "Never  mind  doing  good,  only  be  good;"  or, 
"  Care  not  for  the  salvation  of  others :  look  to  your  own 
salvation."  Jesus  Christ  did  not  teach  a  listless  or  a  selfish 
religion.  He  inculcated  on  His  disciples  a  large-hearted 
generous  concern  for  the  spiritual  well-being  of  men.  To 
foster  such  a  spirit  He  sent  the  twelve  on  this  trial  mission, 
even  when  they  were  comparatively  unfitted  for  the  w^ork, 
and  notwithstanding  the  risk  of  spiritual  harm  to  which  it 
exposed  them.  At  all  hazards  He  would  have  His  apostles 
be  filled  with  enthusiasm  for  the  advancement  of  the  king- 
dom ;  only  taking  due  care,  when  the  vices  to  which  young 
enthusiasts  are  liable  began  to  appear,  to  check  them  by  a 
warning  word  and  a  timely  retreat  into  solitude. 

Section  II.  —  The  Instructions. 

The  instructions  given  by  Jesus  to  the  twelve  in  sending 
them  forth  on  their  first  mission,  are  obviously  divisible  into 
two  parts.  The  first,  shorter  part,  common  to  the  narratives 
of  all  the  three  first  evangelists,  relates  to  the  present  ;  the 
second  and  much  the  longer  part,  peculiar  to  Matthew's 
narrative,  relates  mainly  to  the  distant  future.  In  the 
former,  Christ  tells  His  disciples  what  to  do  now  in  their 
apprentice  apostleship  ;  in  the  latter,  what  they  must  do  and 
endure  when  they  have  become  apostles  on  the  great  scale, 
preaching  the  gospel,  not  to  Jews  only,  but  to  all  nations. 

It  has  been  doubted  whether  the  discourse  included  in  the 
second  part  of  the  apostolic  or  missionary  instructions,  as 
given  by  Matthew,  was  really  uttered  by  Jesus  on  this 
occasion.      Stress    has    been    laid  by   those   who    take   the 

'  Matt.  vii.  22.  See,  for  views  similar  to  those  above  stated,  Edwards'  Thoughts  on 
Revival,  Part  ii.  sec.  ii. 


no  The   Training  of  the   Tivelve. 

negative  view  of  this  question  on  the  facts  that  the  first 
evangehst  alone  gives  the  discourse  in  connection  with  the 
trial  mission,  and  that  the  larger  portion  of  its  contents  are 
given  by  the  other  evangelists  in  other  connections.  Refer- 
ence has  also  been  made,  in  support  of  this  view,  to  the 
statement  made  by  Jesus  to  His  disciples,  in  His  farewell 
address  to  them  before  the  crucifixion,  that  He  had  not  till 
then  spoken  to  them  of  coming  persecutions,  and  for  this 
reason,  that  while  He  was  with  them  it  was  unnecessary.' 
Finally,  it  has  been  deemed  unlikely  that  Jesus  would  frighten 
His  inexperienced  disciples  by  alluding  to  dangers  not  immi- 
nent at  the  time  of  their  mission  in  Galilee.  These  doubts, 
in  view  of  the  topical  method  of  grouping  his  materials 
undoubtedly  followed  by  Matthew,  are  legitimate,  but  they 
are  not  conclusive.  It  was  natural  that  Jesus  should 
signalize  the  first  missionary  enterprise  of  the  twelve 
chosen  men  by  some  such  discourse  as  Matthew  records, 
setting  forth  the  duties,  perils,  encouragements,  and  rewards 
of  the  apostolic  vocation.  It  was  His  way,  on  solemn  occa- 
sions, to  speak  as  a  prophet  who  in  the  present  saw  the 
future,  and  from  small  beginnings  looked  forward  to  great 
ultimate  issues.  And  this  Galilean  mission,  though  humble 
and  limited  compared  with  the  great  undertaking  of  after 
years,  was  really  a  solemn  event.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
that  vast  work  for  which  the  twelve  had  been  chosen,  which 
embraced  the  world  in  its  scope,  and  aimed  at  setting  up  on 
earth  the  kingdom  of  God.  If  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
was  appropriately  delivered  on  the  occasion  when  the  apos- 
tolic company  was  formed,  this  discourse  on  the  apostolic 
vocation  was  not  less  appropriate  when  the  members  of  that 
company  first  put  their  hands  to  the  work  unto  which  they 
had  been  called.  Even  the  allusions  to  distant  dangers 
contained  in  the  discourse  appear  on  reflection  natural  and 
seasonable,  and  calculated  to  re-assure  rather  than  to  frighten 
the  disciples.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  execution 
of  the  Baptist  had  recently  occurred,  and  that  the  twelve 
were  about  to  commence  their  missionary  labors  within  the 
dominions  of  the  tyrant  by  whose  command  the  barbarous 
murder  had  been  committed.     Doubtless  these  humble  men 

'  John  xvi.  4. 


First  Attempts  at  Evangelism.  1 1 1 

who  were  to  take  up  and  repeat  the  Baptist's  message, 
"  Repent,"  ran  no  present  risk  of  his  fate ;  but  it  was  natural 
that  they  should  fear,  and  it  was  also  natural  that  their 
Master  should  think  of  their  future  when  such  fears  would 
be  any  thing  but  imaginary ;  and  on  both  accounts  it  was 
seasonable  to  say  to  them  in  effect :  Dangers  are  coming, 
but  fear  not 

Such,  in  substance,  is  the  burden  of  the  second  part  of 
Christ's  instructions  to  the  twelve.  Of  the  first  part,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  burden  is,  Care  not.  These  two  words.  Care 
not.  Fear  not,  are  the  soul  and  marrow  of  all  that  was  said  by 
way  of  prelude  to  the  first  missionary  enterprise,  and  we  may 
add,  to  all  which  might  follow.  For  here  Jesus  speaks  to 
all  ages  and  to  all  times,  telling  the  Church  in  what  spirit  all 
her  missionary  enterprises  must  be  undertaken  and  carried 
on,  that  they  may  have  His  blessing. 

I.  The  duty  of  entering  on  their  mission  without  care- 
fulness, relying  on  Providence  for  the  necessaries  of  life,  was 
inculcated  on  the  twelve  by  their  Master  in  very  strong  and 
lively  terms.  They  were  instructed  to  procure  nothing  for 
the  journey,  but  just  to  go  as  they  were.  They  must 
provide  neither  gold  nor  silver,  nor  even  so  much  as  brass 
coin  in  their  purses,  no  scrip  or  wallet  to  carry  food,  no 
change  of  raiment ;  not  even  sandals  for  their  feet,  or  a 
staff  for  their  hands.  If  they  had  the  last-mentioned  articles, 
good  and  well  ;  if  not,  they  could  do  without  them.  They 
might  go  on  their  errand  of  love  barefooted,  and  without  the 
aid  even  of  a  staff  to  help  them  on  their  weary  way,  having 
their  feet  shod  only  with  the  preparation  of  the  gospel 
of  peace,  and  leaning  their  weight  upon  God's  words  of 
promise,  "As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."' 

In  these  directions  for  the  way,  it  is  the  spirit,  and  not 
the  mere  letter,  which  is  of  intrinsic  and  permanent  value. 
The  truth  of  this  statement  is  evident  from  the  very 
variations  of  the  evangelists  in  reporting  Christ's  words. 
One,  for  example  (Mark),  makes  Him  say  to  His  disciples  in 
effect  :  "  If  you  have  a  staff  in  your  hand,  and  sandals  on 
your  feet,  and  one  coat  on  your  back,  let  that  suffice." 
Another   (Matthew)   represents  Jesus  as  saying :    "  Provide 

'  Deut.  xxxiii.  25. 


112  The  Traming  of  the  Twelve. 

nothing  for  this  journey,  neither  coat,  shoes,  nor  staff."  * 
In  spirit  the  two  versions  come  to  the  same  thing ;  but  if  we 
insist  on  the  letter  of  the  injunctions  with  legal  strictness, 
there  is  an  obvious  contradiction  between  them.  What 
Jesus  meant  to  say,  in  whatever  form  of  language  He 
expressed  Himself,  was  this  :  Go  at  once,  and  go  as  you 
are,  and  trouble  not  yourselves  about  food  or  raiment,  or  any 
bodily  want  ;  trust  in  God  for  these.  His  instructions 
proceeded  on  the  principle  of  division  of  labor,  assigning  to 
the  servants  of  the  kingdom  military  duty,  and  to  God  the 
commissariat  department. 

So  understood,  the  words  of  our  Lord  are  of  permanent 
validity,  and  to  be  kept  in  mind  by  all  who  would  serve  Him 
in  His  kingdom.  And  though  the  circumstances  of  the 
church  have  greatly  altered  since  these  words  were  first 
spoken,  they  have  not  been  lost  sight  of.  Many  a  minister 
and  missionary  has  obeyed  those  instructions  almost  in  their 
letter,  and  many  more  have  kept  them  in  their  spirit.  Nay, 
has  not  every  poor  student  fulfilled  these  injunctions,  who 
has  gone  forth  from  the  humble  roof  of  his  parents  to  be 
trained  for  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  without  money  in  his 
pocket  either  to  buy  food  or  to  pay  fees,  only  with  simple 
faith  and  youthful  hope  in  his  heart,  knowing  as  little  how 
he  is  to  find  his  way  to  the  pastoral  office,  as  Abraham  knew 
how  to  find  his  way  to  the  promised  land  when  he  left  his 
native  abode,  but,  with  Abraham,  trusting  that  He  who  said 
to  him,  "  Leave  thy  father's  house,"  will  be  his  guide,  his 
shield,  and  his  provider }  And  if  those  who  thus  started  on 
their  career  do  at  length  arrive  at  a  wealthy  place,  in  which 
their  wants  are  abundantly  supplied,  what  is  that  but  an 
indorsement  by  Providence  of  the  law  enunciated  by  the 
Master  :  "The  workman  is  worthy  of  his  meat  "  }  ^ 

The  directions  given  to  the  twelve  with  respect  to  tempo- 
ralities, in  connection  with  their  first  mission,  were  meant  to 
be  an  education  for  their  future  work.  On  entering  on  the 
duties  of  the  apostolate,  they  should  have  to  live  literally  by 
faith,  and    Jesus   mercifully  sought    to    inure   them    to    the 

'  The  fiist  evangelist  may  be  reconciled  with  the  second  by  laying  stress  on  the 
word  "  provide  "  (/ui>j  KTiicnjcree).     See  Alford,  i)i  loco, 
2  Matt.  X.  10. 


First  Attejnpts  at  Evangelism.  113 

habit  while  He  was  with  them  on  earth.  Therefore,  in 
sending  them  out  to  preach  in  Galilee,  He  said  to  them 
in  effect  :  "  Go  and  learn  to  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  with  a 
single  heart,  unconcerned  about  food  or  raiment  ;  for  till  ye 
can  do  that  ye  are  not  fit  to  be  my  apostles."  They  had 
indeed  been  learning  to  do  that  ever  since  they  began  to 
follow  Him  ;  for  those  who  belonged  to  His  company  literally 
lived  from  day  to  day,  taking  no  thought  for  the  morrow. 
But  there  was  a  difference  between  their  past  state  and  that 
on  which  they  were  about  to  enter.  Hitherto  Jesus  had 
been  with  them  ;  now  they  were  to  be  left  for  a  season  to 
themselves.  Hitherto  they  had  been  like  young  children  in 
a  family  under  the  care  of  their  parents,  or  like  young  birds 
in  a  nest  sheltered  by  their  mother's  wing,  and  needing  only 
to  open  their  mouths  wide  in  order  to  get  them  filled ;  now 
they  were  to  become  like  boys  leaving  their  father's  house 
to  serve  an  apprenticeship,  or  like  fledglings  leaving  the 
warm  nest  in  which  they  were  nursed,  to  exercise  their 
wings  and  seek  food  for  themselves. 

While  requiring  His  disciples  to  walk  by  faith,  Jesus  gave 
their  faith  something  to  rest  on,  by  encouraging  them  to 
hope  that  what  they  provided  not  for  themselves  God  would 
provide  for  them  through  the  instrumentality  of  His  people. 
"  Into  whatsoever  city  or  town  ye  shall  enter,  inquire  who  in 
it  is  worthy,  and  there  abide  till  ye  go  thence."  '  He  took 
for  granted,  we  observe,  that  there  would  always  be  found  at 
every  place  at  least  one  good  man  with  a  warm  heart,  who 
would  welcome  the  messengers  of  the  kingdom  to  his  house 
and  table  for  the  pure  love  of  God  and  of  the  truth.  Surely 
no  unreasonable  assumption !  It  were  a  wretched  hamlet, 
not  to  say  town,  that  had  not  a  single  worthy  person  in  it. 
Even  wicked  Sodom  had  a  Lot  within  its  walls  who  could 
entertain  angels  unawares. 

To  insure  good  treatment  of  His  servants  in  all  ages 
wherever  the  gospel  might  be  preached,  Jesus  made  it 
known  that  He  put  a  high  premium  on  all  acts  of  kindness 
done  towards  them.  This  advertisement  we  find  at  the 
close  of  the  address  delivered  to  the  twelve  at  this  time : 
"He  that  receiveth  you,"  He  said  to  them,  "receiveth  me; 

'  Matt.  X.  II. 


114  '^^^'^  Training  of  the   Tzvelve. 

and  he  that  receiveth  me,  receiveth  Him  that  sent  me.  He 
that  receiveth  a  prophet  in  the  name  of  a  prophet,  shall 
receive  a  prophet's  reward  ;  and  he  that  receiveth  a  righteous 
man  in  the  name  of  a  righteous  man,  shall  receive  a 
righteous  man's  reward."  And  then,  with  increased  pathos 
and  solemnity,  He  added  :  "  Whosoever  shall  give  to  drink 
unto  one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the 
name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise 
lose  his  reward."  '  How  easy  to  go  forth  into  Galilee,  yea, 
into  all  the  world,  serving  such  a  sympathetic  Master  on 
such  terms  ! 

But  while  thus  encouraging  the  young  evangelists,  Jesus 
did  not  allow  them  to  go  away  with  the  idea  that  all  things 
would  be  pleasant  in  their  experience.  He  gave  them  to 
understand  that  they  should  be  ill  received  as  well  as  kindly 
received.  They  should  meet  with  churls  who  would  refuse 
them  hospitality,  and  with  stupid,  careless  people  who  would 
reject  their  message  ;  but  even  in  such  cases.  He  assured 
them,  they  should  not  be  without  consolation  If  their 
peaceful  salutation  were  not  reciprocated,  they  should  at  all 
events  get  the  benefit  of  their  own  spirit  of  good-will  :  their 
peace  would  return  to  themselves.  If  their  words  were  not 
welcomed  by  any  to  whom  they  preached,  they  should  at  least 
be  free  from  blame  ;  they  might  shake  off  the  dust  from 
their  feet,  and  say  :  *'  Your  blood  be  upon  your  own  heads, 
we  are  clean ;  we  leave  you  to  your  doom,  and  go  else- 
where." -  Solemn  words,  not  to  be  uttered,  as  they  are  too 
apt  to  be,  especially  by  young  and  inexperienced  disciples, 
in  pride,  impatience,  or  anger,  but  humbly,  calmly,  deliber 
ately,  as  a  part  of  God's  message  to  men.  When  uttered  in 
any  other  spirit,  it  is  a  sign  that  the  preacher  has  been  as 
much  to  blame  as  the  hearer  for  the  rejection  of  his  message. 
Few  have  any  right  to  utter  such  words  at  all ;  for  it  requires 
rare  preaching  indeed  to  make  the  fault  of  unbelieving 
hearers  so  great  that  it  shall  be  more  tolerable  for  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  in  the  day  of  judgment  than  for  them.  But 
such  preaching  has  been.  Christ's  own  preaching  was  such, 
and  hence  the  fearful  doom  He  pronounced  on  those  who 
rejected  His  words.     Such  also  the  preaching  of  the  apostles 

'  Matt  X  40-42.  2  Matt.  x.  13,  14. 


First  Attempts  at  Evmigelism.  1 1 5 

was  to  be  ;  and  therefore  to  uphold  their  authority,  Jesus 
solemnly  declared  that  the  penalty  for  despising  their  word 
would  be  not  less  than  for  neglecting  His  own.' 

2.  The  remaining  instructions,  referring  to  the  future 
rather  than  to  the  present,  while  much  more  copious,  do  not 
call  for  lengthened  explanation.  The  burden  of  them  all, 
as  we  have  said,  is  "Fear  not."  This  exhortation,  like  the 
refrain  of  a  song,  is  repeated  again  and  again  in  the  course 
of  the  address.-  From  that  fact  the  twelve  might  have 
inferred  that  their  future  lot  was  to  be  of  a  kind  fitted  to 
inspire  fear.  But  Jesus  did  not  leave  them  to  learn  this  by 
inference  ;  He  told  them  of  it  plainly.  "  Behold,"  He  said, 
with  the  whole  history  of  the  church  in  His  view,  "Behold, 
I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves."  Then 
He  went  on  to  explain  in  detail,  and  with  appalling  vividness, 
the  various  forms  of  danger  which  awaited  the  messengers 
of  truth ;  how  they  should  be  delivered  up  to  councils, 
scourged  in  synagogues,  brought  before  governors  and  kings 
(like  Felix,  Festus,  Herod),  and  hated  of  all  for  His  name's 
sake.3  He  explained  to  them,  at  the  same  time,  that  this 
strange  treatment  was  inevitable  in  the  nature  of  things, 
being  the  necessary  consequence  of  divine  truth  acting  in 
the  world  like  a  chemical  solvent,  and  separating  men  into 
parties,  according  to  the  spirit  which  ruled  in  them.  The 
truth  would  divide  even  members  of  the  same  family,  and 
make  them  bitterly  hostile  to  each  other ;  "^  and  however 
deplorable  the  result  might  be,  it  was  one  for  which  there 
was  no  remedy.  Offences  must  come:  "Think  not,"  He 
said  to  His  disciples,  horrified  at  the  dark  picture,  and  per- 
haps secretly  hoping  that  their  Master  had  painted  it  in  too 
sombre  colors,  "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace 
on  earth  :  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword.  For  I 
am  come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  against  his  father,  and  the 
daughter  against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against 
her  mother-in-law.  And  a  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his 
own  household."  ^ 

Amid  such  dangers  two  virtues  are   specially  needful  — 

'  Matt.  X.  15.  4  Matt.  x.  21. 

2  Matt.  X.  26,  28,  31.  5  Matt.  x.  34-36. 

5  Matt.  X.  16-18. 


1 1 6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

caution  and  fidelity ;  the  one,  that  God's  servants  may  not 
be  cut  off  prematurely  or  unnecessarily,  the  other,  that  while 
they  live,  they  may  really  do  God's  work,  and  fight  for  the 
truth.  In  such  times  Christ's  disciples  must  not  fear,  but 
be  brave  and  true  ;  and  yet,  while  fearless,  they  must  not  be 
foolhardy.  These  qualities  it  is  not  easy  to  combine  ;  for 
conscientious  men  are  apt  to  be  rash,  and  prudent  men  are 
apt  to  be  unfaithful.  Yet  the  combination  is  not  impossible, 
else  it  would  not  be  required,  as  it  is  in  this  discourse.  For 
it  was  just  the  importance  of  cultivating  the  apparently 
incompatible  virtues  of  caution  and  fidelity  that  Jesus  meant 
to  teach  by  the  remarkable  proverb-precept  :  *'  Be  wise  as 
serpents,  harmless  as  doves.  "  '  The  serpent  is  the  emblem 
of  cunning,  the  dove  of  simplicity.  No  creatures  can  be 
more  unlike ;  yet  Jesus  requires  of  His  disciples  to  be  at 
once  serpents  in  cautiousness,  and  doves  in  simplicity  of 
aim  and  purity  of  heart.  Happy  they  who  can  be  both ;  but 
if  we  cannot,  let  us  at  least  be  doves.  The  dove  must  come 
before  the  serpent  in  our  esteem,  and  in  the  development  of 
our  character.  This  order  is  observable  in  the  history  of  all 
true  disciples.  They  begin  with  spotless  sincerity ;  and 
after  being  betrayed  by  a  generous  enthusiasm  into  some 
acts  of  rashness,  they  learn  betimes  the  serpent's  virtues. 
If  we  invert  the  order,  as  too  many  do,  and  begin  by  being 
prudent  and  judicious  to  admiration,  the  effect  will  be  that 
the  higher  virtue  will  not  only  be  postponed,  but  sacrificed. 
The  dove  will  be  devoured  by  the  serpent :  the  cause  of 
truth  and  righteousness  will  be  betrayed  out  of  a  base  regard 
to  self-preservation  and  worldly  advantage. 

On  hearing  a  general  maxim  of  morals  announced,  one 
naturally  wishes  to  know  how  it  applies  to  particular  cases. 
Christ  met  this  wish  in  connection  with  the  deep,  pregnant 
maxim,  "  Be  wise  as  serpents,  harmless  as  doves,"  by  giving 
examples  of  its  application.  The  first  case  supposed  is  that 
of  the  messengers  of  truth  being  brought  up  before  civil  or 
ecclesiastical  tribunals  to  answer  for  themselves.  Here  the 
dictate  of  wisdom  is,  "Beware  of  men,"^  "Do  not  be  so 
simple  as  to  imagine  all  men  good,  honest,  fair,  tolerant. 
Remember    there   are   wolves    in  the    world  —  men    full  of 

I  Matt.  X.  i6.  *  Matt,  x  17. 


First  Attempts  at  Evangelism,  117 

malice,  falsehood,  and  unscrupulousness,  capable  of  inventing 
the  most  atrocious  charges  against  you,  and  of  supporting 
them  by  the  most  unblushing  mendacity.  Keep  out  of  their 
clutches  if  you  can  ;  and  when  you  fall  into  their  hands, 
expect  neither  candor,  justice,  nor  generosity."  But  how 
are  such  men  to  be  answered  }  Must  craft  be  met  with  craft, 
lies  with  lies .''  No ;  here  is  the  place  for  the  simplicity  of 
the  dove.  Cunning  and  craft  boot  not  at  such  an  hour  ; 
safety  lies  in  trusting  to  Heaven's  guidance,  and  telling  the 
truth.  "  When  they  deliver  you  up,  take  no  (anxious) 
thought  how  or  what  ye  shall  speak  ;  for  it  shall  be  given 
you  in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak.  For  it  is  not  ye 
that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which  speaketh  in 
you."  '  The  counsel  given  to  the  apostles  has  been  justified 
by  experience.  What  a  noble  book  the  speeches  uttered  by 
confessors  of  the  truth  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Divine 
Spirit,  collected  together,  would  make !  It  would  be  a  sort 
of  Martyrs'  Bible. 

Jesus  next  puts  the  case  of  the  heralds  of  His  gospel  being 
exposed  to  popular  persecutions,  and  shows  the  bearing  of 
the  maxim  upon  it  likewise.  Such  persecutions,  as  distinct 
from  judicial  proceedings,  were  common  in  apostolic 
experience,  and  they  are  a  matter  of  course  in  all  critical 
eras.  The  ignorant,  superstitious  populace,  filled  with 
prejudice  and  passion,  and  instigated  by  designing  men, 
play  the  part  of  obstructives  to  the  cause  of  truth,  mobbing, 
mocking,  and  assaulting  the  messengers  of  God.  How, 
then,  are  the  subjects  of  this  ill-treatment  to  act .-'  On  the 
one  hand,  they  are  to  show  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent  by 
avoiding  the  storm  of  popular  ill-will  when  it  arises  ;  and  on 
the  other  hand,  they  are  to  exhibit  the  simplicity  of  the 
dove  by  giving  the  utmost  publicity  to  their  message,  though 
conscious  of  the  risk  they  run.  "  When  they  persecute  you 
in  this  city,  flee  ye  into  the  next  ;  "  ^  yet,  undaunted  by 
clamor,  calumny,  and  violence,  "what  I  tell  you  in  darkness, 
that  speak  ye  in  light  ;  what  ye  hear  in  the  ear,  that  preach 
ye  upon  the  house-tops."  ^ 

To  each  of  these  injunctions  a  reason  is  annexed.  Flight 
is  justified  by  the  remark,  "Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Ye  shall 

*  Matt.  X.  19,  20.  2  Matt.  x.  23.  ^  Matt.  x.  27. 


1 1 8  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

not  have  gone  over  the  cities  of  Israel  till  the  Son  of  man 
be  come."  '  The  coming  alluded  to  is  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  dispersion  of  the  Jewish  nation  ;  and  the 
meaning  is,  that  the  apostles  would  barely  have  time,  before 
the  catastrophe  came,  to  go  over  all  the  land,  warning  the 
people  to  save  themselves  from  the  doom  of  an  untoward 
generation,  so  that  they  could  not  well  afford  to  tarry  in  any 
locality  after  its  inhabitants  had  heard  and  rejected  the 
message.  The  souls  of  all  were  alike  precious  ;  and  if  one 
city  did  not  receive  the  word,  perhaps  another  would.^  The 
reason  annexed  to  the  injunction  to  give  the  utmost 
publicity  to  the  truth,  in  spite  of  all  possible  dangers,  is  : 
"The  disciple  is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the  servant  above 
his  lord."  3  That  is  to  say:  To  be  evil  entreated  by  the 
ignorant  and  violent  multitude  is  hard  to  bear,  but  not 
harder  for  you  than  for  me,  who  already,  as  ye  know,  have 
had  experience  of  popular  malice  at  Nazareth,  and  am 
destined,  as  ye  know  not,  to  have  yet  more  bitter  experience 
of  it  at  Jerusalem.  Therefore  see  that  ye  hide  not  your 
light  under  a  bushel  to  escape  the  rage  of  wolfish  men. 

The  disciples  are  supposed,  lastly,  to  be  in  peril  not 
merely  of  trial,  mocking,  and  violence,  but  even  of  their 
life,  and  are  instructed  how  to  act  in  that  extremity.  Here 
also  the  maxim,  "  Wise  as  serpents,  harmless  as  doves," 
comes  into  play  in  both  its  parts.  In  this  case  the  wisdom 
of  the  serpent  lies  in  knowing  what  to  fear.  Jesus  reminds 
His  disciples  that  there  are  two  kinds  of  deaths,  one  caused 
by  the  sword,  the  other  by  unfaithfulness  to  duty  ;  and  tells 
them  in  effect,  that  while  both  are  evils  to  be  avoided,  if 
possible,  yet  if  a  choice  must  be  made,  the  latter  death  is 
most  to  be  dreaded.  "Fear  not,"  He  said,  "them  which 
kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul ;  but  rather 
fear  him  who  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell," 
—  the  tempter,  that  is,  who,  when  one  is  in  danger,  whispers: 
Save  thyself  at  any  sacrifice  of  principle  or  conscience.* 
The  simplicity  of  the  dove    in    presence   of    extreme    peril 

'  Matt.  X.  23. 

^  Paul  and  Barnabas  acted  on  this  principle  at  Antioch  of  Pisidia.     Acts  xiii.  46. 
3  Matt.  X.  24,  25. 

■*  Matt.  X.  28.     It  has  been  much  disputed  who  is  referred  to  here  —  God  or  Satan 
It  may  be  either  ;  God  as  Judge;  Satan  as  tempter.     We  prefer  the  latter. 


First  Attempts  at  Evangelism.  119 

consists  in  childlike  trust  in  the  watchful  providence  of  the 
Father  in  heaven.  Such  trust  Jesus  exhorted  His  disciples  to 
cherish  in  charmingly  simple  and  pathetic  language.  He  told 
them  that  God  cared  even  for  sparrows,  and  reminded  them 
that,  however  insignificant  they  might  seem  to  themselves, 
they  were  at  least  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows,  not  to 
say  than  two,  whose  money  value  was  just  one  farthing.  If 
God  neglected  not  even  a  pair  of  sparrows,  but  provided  for 
them  a  place  in  His  world  where  they  might  build  their  nest 
and  safely  bring  forth  their  young,  would  He  not  care  for  them 
as  they  went  forth  two  and  two  preaching  the  doctrine  of 
the  kingdom }  Yea !  He  would ;  the  very  hairs  of  their 
head  were  numbered.  Therefore  they  might  go  forth 
without  fear,  trusting  their  lives  to  His  care  ;  remembering 
also  that,  at  worst,  death  was  no  great  evil,  seeing  that  for 
the  faithful  was  reserved  a  crown  of  life,  and,  for  those  who 
confessed  the  Son  of  man,  the  honor  of  being  confessed  by 
Him  in  turn  before  His  Father  in  heaven.' 

Such  were  the  instructions  of  Christ  to  the  twelve  when 
He  sent  them  forth  to  preach  and  to  heal.  It  was  a  rare, 
unexampled  discourse,  strange  to  the  ears  of  us  moderns, 
who  can  hardly  imagine  such  stern  requirements  being 
seriously  made,  not  to  say  exactly  complied  with.  Some 
readers  of  these  pages  may  have  stood  and  looked  up  at 
Mont  Blanc  from  Courmayeur  or  Chamounix.  Such  is  our 
attitude  towards  this  first  missionary  sermon.  It  is  a 
mountain  at  which  we  gaze  in  wonder  from  a  position  far 
below,  hardly  dreaming  of  climbing  to  its  summit.  Some 
noble  ones,  however,  have  made  the  arduous  ascent ;  and 
among  these  the  first  place  of  honor  must  be  assigned  to  the 
chosen  companions  of  Jesus. 

»  Matt.  X.  32,  ■ii. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE    GALILEAN    CRISIS. 

Section  I.  —  The  Miracle. 

John  vi.  1-15  ;  Matt.  xiv.  13-21  ;  Mark  vi.  33-44;  Luke  ix.  11-17. 

The  sixth  chapter  of  John's  Gospel  is  full  of  marvels.  It 
tells  of  a  great  miracle,  a  great  enthusiasm,  a  great  storm,  a 
great  sermon,  a  great  apostasy,  and  a  great  trial  of  faith 
and  fidelity  endured  by  the  twelve.  It  contains,  indeed,  the 
compendious  history  of  an  important  crisis  in  the  ministry  of 
Jesus  and  the  religious  experience  of  His  disciples, — a 
crisis  in  many  respects  foreshadowing  the  great  final  one, 
which  happened  little  more  than  a  year  afterwards,'  when  a 
more  famous  miracle  still  was  followed  by  a  greater  popu- 
larity, to  be  succeeded  in  turn  by  a  more  complete  desertion, 
and  to  end  in  the  crucifixion,  by  which  the  riddle  of  the 
Capernaum  discourse  was  solved,  and  its  prophecy  fufiUed.^ 

'  John  vi.  4 :  "  The  passover,  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  was  nigh." 

3  Keim,  while  admitting  the  reality  of  a  Galilean  crisis,  thinks  the  account  of  it  in 
John  vi.  unhistorical,  though  he  praises  it  as  one  of  the  finest  compositions  in  the  whole 
book.  The  historical  account  he  finds  in  Matt.  xvi. ;  and  he  discovers  in  the  fourth 
Gospel  manifest  points  of  correspondence  to  the  synoptical  version.  Peter's  utterance 
in  the  close  of  the  chapter  is  simply  his  famous  confession  in  another  form.  The  devil  in 
John's  account  corresponds  to  the  Satan  of  the  synoptical,  only  John's  devil  is  in  Judas, 
while  the  synoptical  one  is  in  Peter.  Keim  says  that  in  John's  account  of  the  crisis  the 
rise  and  fall  of  the  star  of  Jesus  is  compressed  into  a  single  chapter,  and  treated  as 
the  work  of  a  day.  Through  feeding  and  storm  Jesus  mounts  at  once  to  the  highest 
popularity,  and  loses  it  again  as  suddenly  in  consequence  of  the  repulsive  discourse  in 
Capernaum.  But  this  is  a  most  incorrect  representation.  John  does  indeed  dispose  of 
the  crisis  in  one  chapter,  but  he  does  not  make  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  appear  as 
the  result  of  the  miracle  of  feeding  or  of  any  one  act.  He  takes  up  the  Galilean  ministry  (of 
which  he  knows,  though  he  does  not  relate  it)  at  the  point  where  it  has  already  reached 
the  result  of  making  Jesus  a  popular  idol  (see  ver.  2),  and  then  proceeds  to  relate  the  story  of 
the  crisis.  And  the  history  which  he  gives,  consistent  and  intelligible  in  itself,  as  we 
hope  to  show,  helps  to  explain  things  in  the  synoptical  account  not  in  themselves  clear, 
e.g.  Christ's  compelling  the  disciples  to  go  away  across  the  lake  in  great  haste,  of  which 
we  shall  speak  farther  on.     Vide  Jesu  von  Nazara,  ii.  578. 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  121 

The  facts  recorded  by  John  in  this  chapter  of  his  Gospel 
may  all  be  comprehended  under  these  four  heads :  the 
miracle  in  the  wilderness,  the  storm  on  the  lake,  the  sermon 
in  the  synagogue,  and  the  subsequent  sifting  of  Christ's 
disciples.  These,  in  their  order,  we  propose  to  consider  in 
four  distinct  sections. 

The  scene  of  the  miracle  was  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
Galilean  Sea.  Luke  fixes  the  precise  locality  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  a  city  called  Bethsaida.'  This,  of  course,  could 
not  be  the  Bethsaida  on  the  western  shore,  the  city  of 
Andrew  and  Peter.  But  there  was,  it  appears,  another  city 
of  the  same  name  at  the  north-eastern  extremity  of  the  lake, 
called  by  way  of  distinction,  Bethsaida  Julias.^  The  site  of 
this  city,  we  are  informed  by  an  eye-witness,  "  is  discernible 
on  the  lower  slope  of  the  hill  which  overhangs  the  rich  plain 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Jordan  "  (that  is,  at  the  place  where  the 
waters  of  the  Upper  Jordan  join  the  Sea  of  Galilee).  "The 
'desert  place,'"  the  same  author  goes  on  to  say,  by  way 
of  proving  the  suitableness  of  the  locality  to  be  the  scene  of 
this  miracle,  "  was  either  the  green  tableland  which  lies  half- 
way up  the  hill  immediately  above  Bethsaida,  or  else  in  the 
parts  of  the  plain  not  cultivated  by  the  hand  of  man  would 
be  found  the  '  much  green  grass,'  still  fresh  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  when  this  event  occurred,  before  it  had  faded  away 
in  the  summer  sun  :  the  tall  grass  which,  broken  down  by 
the  feet  of  the  thousands  then  gathered  together,  would 
make  *  as  it  were,  '  couches  '  for  them  to  recline  upon."  ^ 

To  this  place  Jesus  and  the  twelve  had  retired  after  the 
return  of  the  latter  from  their  mission,  seeking  rest  and 
privacy.  But  what  they  sought  they  did  not  find.  Their 
movements  were  observed,  and  the  people  flocked  along  the 
shore  toward  the  place  whither  they  had  sailed,  running  all 
the  way,  as  if  fearful  that  they  might  escape,  and  so  arriving 
at  the  landing  place  before  them.-*  The  multitude  which  thus 
gathered  around  Jesus  was  very  great.  All  the  evangelists 
agree  in  stating  it  at  five  thousand ;  and  as  the  arrangement 

*  Luke  ix.  lo. 

^  Rebuilt  by  Philip  the  tetrarch,  and  referred  to  by  Josephus. 

^  Stanley,  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  3S2      The  "  desert  place  "  is  spoken  of  in  Luke 
ix.  10,  the  "  much  green  grass"  in  Mark  vi  39  and  John  vi.  10  combined. 
^  Mark  vi.  33. 


122  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

of  the  people  at  the  miraculous  repast  in  groups  of  hundreds 
and  fifties  '  made  it  easy  to  ascertain  their  number,  we  may 
accept  this  statement  not  as  a  rough  estimate,  but  as  a 
tolerably  exact  calculation. 

Such  an  immense  assemblage  testifies  to  the  presence  of  a 
great  excitement  among  the  populations  living  by  the  shore 
of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  A  fervid  enthusiasm,  a  hero-worship, 
whereof  Jesus  was  the  object,  was  at  work  in  their  minds. 
Jesus  was  the  idol  of  the  hour  :  they  could  not  endure  his 
absence ;  they  could  not  see  enough  of  His  work,  nor  hear 
enough  of  His  teaching.  This  enthusiasm  of  the  Galileans 
we  may  regard  as  the  cumulative  result  of  Christ's  own  past 
labors,  and  in  part  also  of  the  evangelistic  mission  which  we 
considered  in  the  last  chapter.^  The  infection  seems  to  have 
spread  as  far  south  as  Tiberias,  for  John  relates  that  boats 
came  from  that  city  "  to  the  place  where  they  did  eat 
bread."  ^  Those  who  were  in  these  boats  came  too  late  to 
witness  the  miracle  and  share  in  the  feast,  but  this  does  not 
prove  that  their  errand  was  not  the  same  as  that  of  the 
rest ;  for,  owing  to  their  greater  distance  from  the  scene, 
the  news  would  be  longer  in  reaching  them,  and  it  would 
take  them  longer  to  go  thither. 

The  great  miracle  wrought  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Bethsaida  Julias  consisted  in  the  feeding  of  this  vast 
assemblage  of  human  beings  with  the  utterly  inadequate 
means  of  "five  barley  loaves  and  two  small  fishes."  ^  It 
was  truly  a  stupendous  transaction,  of  which  we  can  form 
no  conception ;  but  no  event  in  the  Gospel  history  is  more 
satisfactorily  attested.  All  the  evangelists  relate  the  miracle 
with  much  minuteness,  with  little  even  apparent  discrepancy, 
and  with  such  graphic  detail  as  none  but  eye-witnesses  could 
have  supplied.  Even  John,  who  records  so  few  of  Christ's 
miracles,  describes  this  one  with  as  careful  a  hand  as  any  of 
his  brother  evangelists,  albeit  introducing  it  into  his  narative 
merely  as  a  preface  to  the  sermon  on  the  Bread  of  Life  found 
in  his  Gospel  only. 

This  wonderful  work,  so  unexceptionably  attested,  seems 
open  to  exception  on  another  ground.     It  appears  to  be  a 

•  Mark  vi.  40.  ^  John  vi.  23. 

*  Vide  p.  104.  '^  John  vi.  9. 


The   Galilean   CiHsis.  123 

miracle  without  a  sufficient  reason  It  cannot  be  said  to 
have  been  urgently  called  for  by  the  necessities  of  the 
multitude.  Doubtless  they  were  hungry,  and  had  brought 
no  victuals  with  them  to  supply  their  bodily  wants.  But  the 
miracle  was  wrought  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which 
they  left  their  homes,  and  most  of  them  might  have  returned 
within  a  few  hours.  It  would,  indeed,  have  been  somewhat 
hard  to  have  undertaken  such  a  journey  at  the  end  of  the 
day  without  food ;  but  the  hardship,  even  if  necessary,  was 
far  within  the  limits  of  human  endurance.  But  it  was  not 
necessary ;  for  food  could  have  been  got  on  the  way  without 
going  far,  in  the  neighboring  towns  and  villages,  so  that  to 
disperse  them  as  they  were  would  have  involved  no  consider- 
able inconvenience.  This  is  evident  from  the  terms  in  which 
the  disciples  made  the  suggestion  that  the  multitude  should 
be  sent  away.  We  read  :  "  When  the  day  began  to  wear 
away,  then  came  the  twelve,  and  said  unto  Him,  Send  the 
multitude  away,  that  they  may  go  into  the  villages  and 
country  round  about,  and  lodge  and  get  victuals."  '  In 
these  respects  there  is  an  obvious  difference  between  the 
Jirst  miraculous  feeding  and  the  second,  which  occurred  at  a 
somewhat  later  period  at  the  south-eastern  extremity  of  the 
Lake.  On  that  occasion  the  people  who  had  assembled 
around  Jesus  had  been  three  days  in  the  wilderness  without 
aught  to  eat,  and  there  were  no  facilities  for  procuring  food, 
so  that  the  miracle  was  demanded  by  considerations  of 
humanity.^  Accordingly  we  find  that  compassion  is  assigned 
as  the  motive  for  that  miracle:  "Jesus  called  His  disciples 
unto  Him,  and  saith  unto  them,  I  have  compassion  on  the 
multitude,  because  they  have  now  been  with  me  three  days, 
and  have  nothing  to  eat ;  and  if  I  send  them  away  fasting 
to  their  own  houses,  they  will  faint  by  the  way ;  for  some  of 
them  are  come  from  far."  3 

If  our  object  were  merely  to  get  rid  of  the  difficulty 
of  assigning  a  sufficient  motive  for  the  first  great  miracle  of 
feeding,  we  might  content  ourselves  with  saying  that  Jesus 
did  not  need  any  very  urgent  occasion  to  induce  Him  to  use 
His  power  for  the  benefit  of  others.  For  His  own  benefit 
He  would  not  use  it  in  case  even  of  extreme  need,  not  even 

*  Luke  ix.  12.  ^  Mark  viii.  3,  4.  ^  Mark  viii.  1-3. 


124  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

after  a  fast  of  forty  days.  But  when  the  well-being  (not 
to  say  the  being)  of  others  was  concerned,  He  dispensed 
miraculous  blessings  with  a  liberal  hand.  He  did  not  ask 
Himself  :  Is  this  a  grave  enough  occasion  for  the  use  of 
divine  power.-*  Is  this  man  ill  enough  to  justify  a  miraculous 
interference  with  the  laws  of  nature  by  healing  him  }  Are 
these  people  here  assembled  hungry  enough  to  be  fed,  like 
their  fathers  in  the  wilderness,  with  bread  from  heaven } 
But  we  do  not  insist  on  this,  because  we  believe  that  some- 
thing else  and  higher  was  aimed  at  in  this  miracle  than 
to  satisfy  physical  appetite.  It  was  a  symbolic,  didactic, 
critical  miracle.  It  was  meant  to  teach,  and  also  to  test ;  to 
supply  a  text  for  the  subsequent  sermon,  and  a  touchstone 
to  try  the  character  of  those  who  had  followed  Jesus  with 
such  enthusiasm.  The  miraculous  feast  in  the  wilderness 
was  meant  to  say  to  the  multitude  just  what  our  sacramental 
feast  says  to  us  :  "  I,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God  Incarnate,  am 
the  bread  of  life.  What  this  bread  is  to  your  bodies,  I 
myself  am  to  your  souls."  And  the  communicants  in  that 
feast  were  to  be  tested  by  the  way  in  which  they  regarded 
the  transaction.  The  spiritual  would  see  in  it  a  sign  of 
Christ's  divine  dignity,  and  a  seal  of  His  saving  grace  ;  the 
carnal  would  rest  simply  in  the  outward  fact  that  they  had 
eaten  of  the  loaves  and  were  filled,  and  would  take  occasion 
from  what  had  happened  to  indulge  in  high  hopes  of  tem- 
poral felicity  under  the  benign  reign  of  the  Prophet  and 
King  who  had  made  His  appearance  among  them. 

The  miracle  in  the  desert  was  in  this  view  not  merely  an 
act  of  mercy,  but  an  act  of  judgment.  Jesus  mercifully  fed 
the  hungry  multitude  in  order  that  He  might  sift  it,  and 
separate  the  true  from  the  spurious  disciples.  There  was  a 
much  more  urgent  demand  for  such  a  sifting  than  for  food  to 
satisfy  merely  physical  cravings.  If  those  thousands  were 
all  genuine  disciples,  it  was  well  ;  but  if  not  —  if  the  greater 
number  were  following  Christ  under  misapprehension  —  the 
sooner  that  became  apparent  the  better.  To  allow  so  large 
a  mixed  multitude  to  follow  Hunself  any  longer  without 
sifting  would  have  been  on  Christ's  part  to  encourage  false 
hopes,  and  to  give  rise  to  serious  misapprehensions  as  to  the 
nature  of  His  kingdom  and  His  earthly  mission.     And  no 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  125 

better  method  of  separating  the  chaff  from  the  wheat  in  that 
large  company  of  professed  disciples  could  have  been  devised, 
than  first  to  work  a  miracle  which  would  bring  to  the  surface 
the  latent  carnality  of  the  greater  number,  and  then  to  preach 
a  sermon  which  could  not  fail  to  be  offensive  to  the  carnal 
mind. 

That  Jesus  freely  chose,  for  a  reason  of  His  own,  the 
miraculous  method  of  meeting  the  difficulty  that  had  arisen, 
appears  to  be  not  obscurely  hinted  at  in  the  Gospel  narra- 
tives. Consider,  for  example,  in  this  connection,  John's 
note  of  time,  ''The  passover,  a  feast  of  the  Jews,  was  nigh." 
Is  this  a  merely  chronological  statement  .'*  We  thmk  not. 
What  further  purpose,  then,  is  it  intended  to  serve  ?  To 
explain  how  so  great  a  crowd  came  to  be  gathered  around 
Jesus  }  —  Such  an  explanation  was  not  required,  for  the  true 
cause  of  the  great  gathering  was  the  enthusiasm  which  had 
been  awakened  among  the  people  by  the  preaching  and 
healing  work  of  Jesus  and  the  twelve.  The  evangelist 
refers  to  the  approaching  passover,  it  would  seem,  not  to 
explain  the  movement  of  the  people,  but  rather  to  explain 
the  acts  and  words  of  His  Lord  about  to  be  related.  "  The 
passover  was  nigh,  and "  —  so  may  we  bring  out  John's 
meaning — "Jesus  was  thinking  of  it,  though  He  went  not 
up  to  the  feast  that  season.  He  thought  of  the  paschal 
lamb,  and  how  He,  the  true  Paschal  Lamb,  would  ere  long 
be  slain  for  the  life  of  the  world ;  and  He  gave  expression 
to  the  deep  thoughts  of  His  heart  in  the  symbolic  miracle 
I  am  about  to  relate,  and  in  the  mystic  discourse  which 
followed."  ' 

The  view  we  advocate  respecting  the  motive  of  the  miracle 
in  the  wilderness  seems  borne  out  also  by  the  tone  adopted 
by  Jesus  in  the  conversation  which  took  place  between  Him- 
self and  the  twelve  as  to  how  the  wants  of  the  multitude 
might  be  supplied.  In  the  course  of  that  conversation,  of 
which  fragments  have  been  preserved  by  the  different 
evangelists,  two  suggestions  were  made  by  the  disciples. 
One  was  to  dismiss  the  multitude  that  they  might  procure 
supplies  for  themselves  ;  the  other,  that  they  (the  disciples) 

'  For  the  view  of  John  vi.  4  above  given,  see  Luthardt,  Das  Johan.  Evangehutn, 
i.  So,  li.  41. 


126  The   Training  of  the   Twelve. 

should  go  to  the  nearest  town  (say  Bethsaida  Julias,  prob- 
ably not  far  off)  and  purchase  as  much  bread  as  they  could 
get  for  two  hundred  denarii,  which  would  suffice  to  alleviate 
hunger  at  least,  if  not  to  satisfy  appetite.'  Both  these  pro- 
posals were  feasible,  otherwise  they  would  not  have  been 
made  ;  for  the  twelve  had  not  spoken  thoughtlessly,  but 
after  consideration,  as  appears  from  the  fact  that  one  of  their 
number,  Andrew,  had  already  ascertained  how  much  provision 
could  be  got  on  the  spot.  The  question  how  the  multitude 
could  be  provided  for  had  evidently  been  exercising  the  minds 
of  the  disciples,  and  the  two  proposals  were  the  result  of 
their  deliberations.  Now,  what  we  wish  to  point  out  is,  that 
Jesus  does  not  appear  to  have  given  any  serious  heed  to  these 
proposals.  He  listened  to  them,  not  displeased  to  see  the 
generous  concern  of  His  disciples  for  the  hungry  people, 
yet  with  the  air  of  one  who  meant  from  the  first  to  pursue  a 
different  line  of  action  from  any  they  might  suggest.  He 
behaved  like  a  general  in  a  council  of  war  whose  own  mind  is 
made  up,  but  who  is  not  unwilling  to  hear  what  his  subordi- 
nates will  say.  This  is  no  mere  inference  of  ours,  for  John 
actually  explains  that  such  was  the  manner  in  which  our 
Lord  acted  on  the  occasion.  After  relating  that  Jesus 
addressed  to  Philip  the  question.  Whence  shall  we  buy  bread, 
that  these  may  eat }  he  adds  the  parenthetical  remark, 
"  This  He  said  to  prove  him,  for  He  Himself  knew  what  He 
would  do."  ^ 

Such,  then,  was  the  design  of  the  miracle ;  what  now  was 
its  result .''  It  raised  the  swelling  tide  of  enthusiasm  to  its 
full  height,  and  induced  the  multitude  to  form  a  foolish  and 
dangerous  purpose  —  even  to  crown  the  wonder-working 
Jesus,  and  make  Him  their  king  instead  of  the  licentious 
despot  Herod.  They  said,  "This  is  of  a  truth  that  Prophet 
that  should  come  into  the  world;"  and  they  were  on  the 
point  of  coming  and  taking  Jesus  by  force  to  make  Him  a 
king,  insomuch  that  it  was  necessary  that  He  should  make 
His  escape  from  them,  and  depart  into  a  mountain  Himself 
alone.^      Such   are   the   express   statements    of   the    fourth 

'  Mark  vi.  37;  John  vi.  7.      A  denarius  (Eng.  Ver.  a  penny)  seems  to  have  been  a 
day's  wages  (Matt.  xx.  9),  and  was  about  the  eighth  part  of  an  ounce  of  silver. 
^  John  vi.  6. 
3  John  vi.  14,  15.     The  prophet  meant  was  one  like  Moses  (Deut.  xviii.  15). 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  127 

Gospel,  and  what  is  there  stated  is  obscurely  implied  in  the 
narratives  of  Matthew  and  Mark.  They  tell  how,  after 
the  miracle  in  the  desert,  Jesus  straightiuay  constrained  His 
disciples  to  get  into  a  ship  and  to  go  to  the  other  side.' 
Why  such  haste,  and  why  such  urgency .''  Doubtless  it  was 
late,  and  there  was  no  time  to  lose  if  they  wished  to  get  home 
to  Capernaum  that  night.  But  why  go  home  at  all,  when 
the  people,  or  at  least  a  part  of  them,  were  to  pass  the  night 
in  the  wilderness .''  Should  the  disciples  not  rather  have 
remained  with  them,  to  keep  them  in  heart  and  take  a  charge 
of  them  .-•  Nay,  was  it  dutiful  in  disciples  to  leave  their 
Master  alone  in  such  a  situation  .-'  Doubtless  the  reluctance 
of  the  twelve  to  depart  sprang  from  their  asking  themselves 
these  very  questions  ;  and,  as  a  feeling  having  such  an  origin 
was  most  becoming,  the  constraint  put  on  them  presupposes 
the  existence  of  unusual  circumstances,  such  as  those 
recorded  by  John.  In  other  words,  the  most  natural  expla- 
nation of  the  fact  recorded  by  the  synoptical  evangelists  is, 
that  Jesus  wished  to  extricate  both  Himself  and  His  disciples 
from  the  foolish  enthusiasm  of  the  multitude,  an  enthusiasm 
with  which,  beyond  question,  the  disciples  were  only  too 
much  in  sympathy,  and  for  that  purpose  arranged  that  they 
should  sail  away  in  the  dusk  across  the  lake,  while  He 
retired  into  the  solitude  of  the  mountains.^ 

What  a  melancholy  result  of  a  hopeful  movement  have  we 
here !  The  kingdom  has  been  proclaimed,  and  the  good 
news  has  been  extensively  welcomed.  Jesus,  the  Messianic 
King,  is  become  the  object  of  most  ardent  devotion  to  an 
enthusiastic  population.  But,  alas  !  their  ideas  of  the 
kingdom  are  radically  mistaken.  Acted  out,  they  would 
mean  rebellion  and  ultimate  ruin.  Therefore  it  is  necessary 
that  Jesus  should  save  Himself  from  His  own  friends,  and 
hide  Himself  from  His  own  followers.  How  certainly  do 
Satan's  tares  get  sown  among  God's  wheat !  How  easily 
does  enthusiasm  run  into  folly  and  mischief  ! 

The  result  of  the  miracle  did  not  take  Jesus  by  surprise. 
It  was  what  He  expected  ;  nay,  in  a  sense,  it  was  what  He 
aimed  at.     It  was  time  that  the  thoughts  of  many  hearts 

'  Matt.  xiv.  22;    Mark  i.  45,  Eufleios  r\va.yKo.CiV. 

^  John  vi.  15,  16.     Vide  p.  116,  note  2. 


128  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

should  be  revealed  ;  and  the  certainty  that  the  miracle 
would  help  to  reveal  them  was  one  reason  at  least  for  its 
being  worked.  Jesus  furnished  for  the  people  a  table  in  the 
wilderness,  and  gave  them  of  the  corn  of  heaven,  and  sent 
them  meat  to  the  full/  that  He  might  prove  them,  and  know 
what  was  in  their  heart, ^  —  whether  they  loved  Him  for  His 
own  sake,  or  only  for  the  sake  of  expected  worldly  advantage. 
That  many  followed  Him  from  by-ends  He  knew  before- 
hand, but  He  desired  to  bring  the  fact  home  to  their  own 
consciences.  The  miracle  put  that  in  His  power,  and 
enabled  Him  to  say,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  "  Ye 
seek  me,  not  because  ye  saw  the  miracles,  but  because  ye 
did  eat  of  the  loaves  and  were  filled." ^  It  was  a  searching 
word,  which  might  well  put  all  His  professed  followers,  not 
only  then,  but  now,  on  self-examining  thoughts,  and  lead 
each  man  to  ask  himself.  Why  do  I  profess  Christianity }  is 
it  from  sincere  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  and 
Saviour  of  the  world,  or  from  thoughtless  compliance  with 
custom,  from  a  regard  to  reputation,  or  from  considerations 
of  worldly  advantage  't 

Section  II.  —  The  Storm. 

Matt.  xiv.  24-33  ;  Mark  vi.  45-52  ;  John  vi.  16-21. 

**Tn  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the  sea,"  wrote 
Paul,  describing  the  varied  hardships  encountered  by  himself 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  great  work  as  the  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles.  Such  perils  meet  together  in  this  crisis  in  the  life 
of  Jesus.  He  has  just  saved  himself  from  the  dangerous 
enthusiasm  manifested  by  the  thoughtless  multitude  after 
the  miraculous  repast  in  the  desert ;  and  now,  a  few  hours 
later,  a  still  greater  disaster  threatens  to  befall  Him.  His 
twelve  chosen  disciples,  whom  He  had  hurriedly  sent  off  in 
a  boat,  that  they  might  not  encourage  the  people  in  their 
foolish  project,  have  been  overtaken  in  a  storm  while  He  is 
alone  on  the  mountain  praying,  and  are  in  imminent  danger 
of  being  drowned.  His  contrivance  for  escaping  one  evil  has 
involved  Him  in  a  worse  ;  and  it  seems  as  if,  by  a  combina- 
tion of  mischances,  He  were  to  be  suddenly  deprived  of  all 

•  Ps.  l.\xviii.  19,  24,  25.  *  Deut,  viii.  2.  ^  John  vi.  26. 


The   Galilean   Crisis,  129 

His  followers,  both  true  and  false,  at  once,  and  left  utterly 
alone,  as  in  the  last  great  crisis.  The  Messianic  King 
watching  on  those  heights,  like  a  general  on  the  day  of 
battle,  is  indeed  hard  pressed,  and  the  battle  is  going  against 
Him.  But  the  Captain  of  salvation  is  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency ;  and  however  sorely  perplexed  He  may  be  for  a 
season,  He  will  be  victorious  in  the  end. 

The  Sea  of  Galilee,  though  but  a  small  sheet  of  water, 
some  thirteen  miles  long  by  six  broad,  is  liable  to  be  visited 
by  sharp,  sudden  squalls,  probably  due  to  its  situation.  It 
lies  in  a  deep  hollow  of  volcanic  origin,  bounded  on  either 
side  by  steep  ranges  of  hills  rising  above  the  water-level 
from  one  to  two  thousand  feet.  The  difference  of  tempera- 
ture at  the  top  and  bottom  of  these  hills  is  very  considerable. 
Up  on  the  tablelands  above  the  air  is  cool  and  bracing  ; 
down  at  the  margin  of  the  lake,  which  lies  seven  hundred 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  ocean,  the  climate  is  tropical. 
The  storms  caused  by  this  inequality  of  temperature  are 
tropical  in  violence.  They  come  sweeping  down  the  ravines 
upon  the  water ;  and  in  a  moment  the  lake,  calm  as  glass 
before,  becomes  from  end  to  end  white  with  foam,  whilst  the 
waves  rise  into  the  air  in  columns  of  spray.' 

Two  such  storms  of  wind  were  encountered  by  the  twelve 
after  they  had  become  disciples,  probably  within  the  same 
year  ;  the  one  with  which  we  are  concerned  at  present,  and 
an  earlier  one  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  Gadara.^  Both 
happened  by  night,  and  both  were  exceedingly  violent.  In 
the  first  storm,  we  are  told,  the  ship  was  covered  with  the 
waves,  and  filled  almost  to  sinking,  so  that  the  disciples 
feared  they  should  perish.  The  second  storm  was  equally 
violent,  and  was  of  much  longer  duration.  It  caught  the 
twelve  apparently  when  they  were  half-way  across,  and  after 
the  gray  of  dusk  had  deepened  into  the  darkness  of  night. 
From  that  time  the  wind  blew  with  unabated  force  till 
daybreak,  in  the  fourth  watch,  between  the  hours  of  three 
and  six  in  the  morning.  Some  idea  of  the  fury  of  the  blast 
may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  recorded,  that  even  then  they 
were  still  little  more  than  half-way  over  the  sea.     They  had 

*  Stanley,  Sinai  and  Palestine^  p.  380. 

*  Matt.  viii.  23  j  Mark  iv.  35  ;  Luke  viii.  22. 


130  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

rowed  in  all  only  a  distance  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  furlongs,' 
the  whole  distance  in  a  slanting  direction,  from  the  eastern 
to  the  western  shore,  being  probably  about  fifty.  During  all 
those  weary  hours  they  had  done  little  more,  pulling  with 
all  their  might,  than  hold  their  own  against  wind  and  waves. 

All  this  while  what  was  Jesus  doing  }  In  the  first  storm 
He  had  been  with  His  disciples  in  the  ship,  sweetly  sleeping 
after  the  fatigues  of  the  day,  "rocked  in  cradle  of  the 
imperious  surge."  This  time  He  was  absent,  and  not 
sleeping ;  but  away  up  among  the  mountains  alone,  watching 
unto  prayer.  For  He,  too,  had  His  own  struggle  on  that 
tempestuous  night ;  not  with  the  howling  winds,  but  with 
sorrowful  thoughts.  That  night  He,  as  it  were,  rehearsed 
the  agony  in  Gethsemane,  and  with  earnest  prayer  and 
absorbing  meditation  studied  the  passion  sermon  which  He 
preached  on  the  morrow.  So  engrossed  was  His  mind  with 
His  own  sad  thoughts,  that  the  poor  disciples  were  for  a 
season  as  if  forgotten  ;  till  at  length,  at  early  dawn,  looking 
seawards,^  He  saw  them  toiling  in  rowing  against  the 
contrary  wind,  and  without  a  moment's  further  delay  made 
haste  to  their  rescue. 

This  storm  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  besides  being  important 
as  a  historical  fact,  possesses  also  the  significance  of  an 
emblem.  When  we  consider  the  time  at  which  it  occurred, 
it  is  impossible  not  to  connect  it  in  our  thoughts  with  the 
untoward  events  of  the  next  day.  For  the  literal  storm  on 
the  water  was  succeeded  by  a  spiritual  storm  on  the  land, 
equally  sudden  and  violent,  and  not  less  perilous  to  the  souls 
of  the  twelve  than  the  other  had  been  to  their  bodies.  The 
bark  containing  the  precious  freight  of  Christ's  true  disciple- 
ship  was  then  overtaken  by  a  sudden  gust  of  unpopularity, 
coming  down  on  it  like  a  squall  on  a  highland  loch,  and  all 
but  upsetting  it.  The  fickle  crowd  which  but  the  day  before 
would  have  made  Jesus  their  king,  turned  away  abruptly 
from  Him  in  disappointment  and  disgust ;  and  it  was  not 
without  an  effort,  as  we  shall  see,^  that  the  twelve  maintained 
their  steadfastness.  They  had  to  pull  hard  against  wind  and 
waves,  that  they  might  not  be  carried  headlong  to  ruin  by 
the  tornado  of  apostasy. 

I  John  vi.  19.  2  Mark  vi.  48.  ^  See  Section  IV.  of  the  present  chapter. 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  131 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  two  storms,  —  on  the 
lake  and  on  the  shore,  —  coming  so  close  one  on  the  other, 
would  become  associated  in  the  memory  of  the  apostles  ;  and 
that  the  literal  storm  would  be  stereotyped  in  their  minds  as 
an  expressive  emblem  of  the  spiritual  one,  and  of  all  similar 
trials  of  faith.  The  incidents  of  that  fearful  night — the 
watching,  the  wet,  the  toil  without  result,  the  fatigue,  the 
terror  and  despair  —  would  abide  indelibly  in  their  recol- 
lection, the  symbolic  representation  of  all  the  perils  and  tribu- 
lations through  which  believers  must  pass  on  their  way  to  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  and  especially  of  those  that  come  upon 
them  while  they  are  yet  immature  in  the  faith.  Symbolic 
significance  might  be  discovered  specially  in  three  features. 
The  storm  took  place  by  night ;  in  the  absence  of  Jesus  ;  and 
while  it  lasted  all  progress  was  arrested.  Storms  at  sea  may 
happen  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  but  trials  of  faith  always 
happen  in  the  night.  Were  there  no  darkness  there  could 
be  no  trial.  Had  the  twelve  understood  Christ's  discourse 
in  Capernaum,  the  apostasy  of  the  multitude  would  have 
seemed  to  them  a  light  matter.  But  they  did  not  under- 
stand it,  and  hence  the  solicitude  of  their  Master  lest  they 
too  should  forsake  Him.  In  all  such  trials,  also,  the  absence 
of  the  Lord  to  feeling  is  a  constant  and  most  painful  feature. 
Christ  is  not  in  the  ship  while  the  storm  rages  by  night,  and 
we  toil  on  in  rowing  unaided,  as  we  think,  by  His  grace, 
uncheered  by  His  spiritual  presence.  It  was  so  even  with 
the  twelve  next  day  on  shore.  Their  Master,  present  to 
their  eyes,  had  vanished  out  of  sight  to  their  understanding. 
They  had  not  the  comfort  of  comprehending  His  meaning, 
while  they  clung  to  Him  as  one  who  had  the  words  of 
eternal  life.  Worst  of  all,  in  these  trials  of  faith,  with  all 
our  rowing,  we  make  no  progress  ;  the  utmost  we  can  effect 
is  to  hold  our  own,  to  keep  off  the  rocky  shore  in  the  midst 
of  the  sea.  Happily  that  is  something,  yea,  it  is  every  thing. 
For  it  is  not  always  true  that  if  not  going  forward  we  must 
be  going  backward.  This  is  an  adage  for  fair  weather  only. 
In  a  time  of  storm  there  is  such  a  thing  as  standing  still, 
and  then  to  do  even  so  much  is  a  great  achievement.  Is  it 
a  small  thing  to  weather  the  storm,  to  keep  off  the  rocks, 
the  sands,  and  the  breakers  ?     Vex  not  the  soul  of  him  who 


132  The  Training  of  the  Twelve,  ^ 

is  already  vexed  enough  by  the  buffeting  winds,  by  retailing 
wise  saws  about  progress  and  backsliding  indiscriminately 
applied.  Instead  of  playing  thus  the  part  of  a  Job's  friend, 
rather  remind  him  that  the  great  thing  for  one  in  his  situa- 
tion is  to  endure,  to  be  immovable,  to  hold  fast  his  moral 
integrity  and  his  profession  of  faith,  and  to  keep  off  the 
dangerous  coasts  of  immorality  and  infidelity  ;  and  assure  him 
that  if  he  will  only  pull  a  little  longer,  however  weary  his  arm, 
God  will  come  and  calm  the  wind,  and  he  will  forthwith 
reach  the  land. 

The  storm  on  the  lake,  besides  being  an  apt  emblem  of 
the  trial  of  faith,  was  for  the  twelve  an  important  lesson  in 
faith,  helping  to  prepare  them  for  the  future  which  awaited 
them.  The  temporary  absence  of  their  Master  was  a  prepara- 
tion for  His  perpetual  absence.  The  miraculous  interposition 
of  Jesus  at  the  crisis  of  their  peril  was  fitted  to  impress  on 
their  minds  the  conviction  that  even  after  He  had  ascended 
He  would  still  be  with  them  in  the  hour  of  danger.  From 
the  ultimate  happy  issue  of  a  plan  which  threatened  for  a 
time  to  miscarry,  they  might  further  learn  to  cherish  a  calm 
confidence  in  the  government  of  their  exalted  Lord,  even  in 
midst  of  most  untoward  events.  They  probably  concluded, 
when  the  storm  came  on,  that  Jesus  had  made  a  mistake  in 
ordering  them  to  sail  away  across  the  lake  while  He  remained 
behind  to  dismiss  the  multitude.  The  event,  however, 
rebuked  this  hasty  judgment,  all  ending  happily.  Their 
experience  in  this  instance  was  fitted  to  teach  a  lesson  for 
life  :  not  rashly  to  infer  mismanagement  or  neglect  on 
Christ's  part  from  temporary  mishaps,  but  to  have  firm 
faith  in  His  wise  and  loving  care  for  His  cause  and  people, 
and  to  anticipate  a  happy  issue  out  of  all  perplexities  ;  yea, 
to  glory  in  tribulation,  because  of  the  great  deliverance  which 
would  surely  follow. 

Such  strong  faith  the  disciples  were  far  enough  from 
possessing  at  the  time  of  the  storm.  They  had  no  expec- 
tation that  Jesus  would  come  to  their  rescue ;  for  when  He 
did  come,  they  thought  He  was  a  spirit  flitting  over  the 
water,  and  cried  out  in  an  agony  of  superstitious  terror. 
Here  also  we  note,  in  passing,  a  curious  correspondence 
between  the   incidents   of   this  crisis  and   those  connected 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  133 

with  the  final  one.  The  disciples  had  then  as  little  expec* 
tation  of  seeing  their  Lord  return  from  the  dead  as  they 
had  now  of  seeing  Him  come  to  them  over  the  sea  ;  and 
therefore  His  re-appearance  at  first  frightened  rather  than 
comforted  them.  "  They  were  terrified  and  affrighted,  and 
supposed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit."  '  Good,  unlocked  for 
in  either  case,  was  turned  into  evil  ;  and  what  to  faith  would 
have  been  a  source  of  intense  joy,  became,  through  unbelief, 
only  a  new  cause  of  alarm. 

The  fact  of  His  not  being  expected  seems  to  have  imposed 
on  Jesus  the  necessity  of  using  artifice  in  His  manner  of 
approaching  His  storm-tossed  disciples.  Mark  relates  that 
"  He  would  have  passed  by  then,"  ^  affecting  strangeness,  as 
we  understand  it,  out  of  delicate  consideration  for  their 
weakness.  He  knew  what  He  would  be  taken  for  when  first 
observed  ;  and  therefore  He  wished  to  attract  their  attention 
at  a  safe  distance,  fearing  lest,  by  appearing  among  them  at 
once,  He  might  drive  them  distracted.  He  found  it  needful 
to  be  as  cautious  in  announcing  His  advent  to  save  as  men 
are  wont  to  be  in  communicating  evil  tidings  :  first  appear- 
ing, as  the  spectre,  as  far  away  as  He  could  be  seen  ;  then 
revealing  Himself  by  His  familiar  voice  uttering  the  words 
of  comfort,  "  It  is  I  ;  be  not  afraid,"  and  so  obtaining  at 
length  a  willing  reception  into  the  ship.^ 

The  effects  which  followed  the  admission  of  Jesus  into  the 
vessel  betrayed  the  twelve  into  a  new  manifestation  of  the 
weakness  of  their  faith.  "  The  wind  ceased  :  and  they  were 
sore  amazed  in  themselves  beyond  measure,  and  wondered."* 
They  ought  not  to  have  wondered  so  greatly,  after  what  had 
happened  once  before  on  these  same  waters,  and  especially 
after  such  a  miracle  as  had  been  wrought  in  the  wilderness 
on  the  previous  day.  But  the  storm  had  blown  all  thoughts 
of  such  things  out  of  their  mind,  and  driven  them  utterly 
stupid.  "  They  reflected  not  on  the  loaves  (nor  on  the 
rebuking  of  the  winds),  for  their  heart  was  hardened."  5 

But  the  most  interesting  revelation  of  the  mental  state  of 
the  disciples  at  the  time  when  Jesus  came  to  their  relief, 

•  Luke  xxiv.  yj.  *  Mark  vi.  51. 

2  Mark  vi.  48.  ^  Mark  vi.  52. 

^  John  vi.  21. 


134  ^'^^  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

is  to  be  found  in  the  episode  concerning  Peter  related  in 
Matthew's  Gospel.  When  that  disciple  understood  that  the 
supposed  spectre  was  his  beloved  Master,  he  cried,  "  Lord, 
if  it  be  Thou,  bid  me  come  unto  Thee  on  the  water ; "  '  and 
on  receiving  permission,  he  forthwith  stepped  out  of  the 
ship  into  the  sea.  This  was  not  faith,  but  simple  rashness. 
It  was  the  rebound  "oT'an  impetuous,  headlong  nature  from 
one  extreme  of  utter  despair  to  the  opposite  extreme  of 
extravagant,  reckless  joy.  What  in  the  other  disciples  took 
the  tame  form  of  a  willingness  to  receive  Jesus  into  the 
ship,  after  they  were  satisfied  it  was  He  who  walked  on 
the  waters,^  took,  in  the  case  of  Peter,  the  form  of  a  roman- 
tic, adventurous  wish  to  go  out  to  Jesus  where  He  was,  to 
welcome  Him  back  among  them  again.  The  proposal  was 
altogether  like  the  man — generous,  enthusiastic,  and  well- 
meant,  but  inconsiderate. 

Such  a  proposal,  of  course,  could  not  meet  with  Christ's 
approval,  and  yet  He  did  not  negative  it.  He  rather  thought 
good  to  humor  the  impulsive  disciple  so  far,  by  inviting  him 
to  come,  and  then  to  allow  him,  while  in  the  water,  to  feel 
his  own  weakness.  Thus  would  He  teach  him  a  little  self- 
knowledge,  and,  if  possible,  save  him  from  the  effects  of  his 
rash,  self-confident  temper.  But  Peter  was  not  to  be  made 
wise  by  one  lesson,  nor  even  by  several.  He  would  go  on 
blundering  and  erring,  in  spite  of  rebuke  and  warning,  till  at 
length  he  fell  into  grievous  sin,  denying  the  Master  whom 
he  loved  so  well.  The  denial  at  the  final  crisis  was  just 
what  might  be  looked  for  from  one  who  so  behaved  at  the 
minor  crisis  preceding  it.  The  man  who  said,  "Bid  me 
come  to  Thee,"  was  just  the  man  to  say,  "Lord,  I  am  ready 
to  go  with  Thee  both  into  prison  and  to  death."  He  who 
was  so  courageous  on  deck,  and  so  timid  amid  the  waves, 
was  the  one  of  all  the  disciples  most  likely  to  talk  boldly 
when  danger  was  not  at  hand,  and  then  play  the  coward 
when  the  hour  of  trial  actually  arrived.  The  scene  on  the 
lake  was  but  a  foreshadowing  or  rehearsal  of  Peter's  fall. 

And  yet  that  scene  showed  something  more  than  the 
weakness  of  that  disciple's  faith.  It  showed  also  what  is 
possible   to  those  who  believe.     If   the    tendency  of   weak 

•  Matt.  xiv.  28.  ^  John  vi.  21. 


The   Galilean  Crisis.  135 

faith  be  to  sink,  the  triumph  of  strong  faith  is  to  walk  on 
the  waves,  glorying  in  tribulation,  and  counting  it  all  joy 
wEen  exposed  to  divers  temptations.  It  is  the  privilege  of 
those~who  are  weak  in  faith,  and  the  duty  of  all,  mindful 
of  human  frailty,  to  pray,  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation." 
But  when  storms  come  not  of  their' inviting,  and  when  their 
ship  is  upset  in  midst  of  the  sea,  then  may  Christians  trust 
to  the  promise,  "  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters, 
I  will  be  with  thee ; "  and  if  only  they  have  faith,  they 
stetl'^be  enabled  to  tread  the  rolling  billows  as  if  walking  on 
firm  land. 

"  He  bids  me  come  ;  His  voice  I  know, 

And  boldly  on  the  waters  go, 
And  brave  the  tempest's  shock. 

O'er  rude  temptations  now  I  bound  ; 

The  billows  yield  a  solid  ground, 
The  wave  is  firm  as  rock." 

Section  III.  —  The  Sermon. 

John  vi.  32-58. 

The  task  now  before  us  is  to  study  that  memorable  address 
delivered  by  Jesus  in  the  synagogue  of  Capernaum  on  the 
bread  of  life,  which  gave  so  great  offence  at  the  time,  and 
which  has  ever  since  been  a  stone  of  stumbling,  a  subject  of 
controversy,  and  a  cause  of  division  in  the  visible  church,  and, 
so  far  as  one  can  judge  from  present  appearances,  will  be  to  the 
world's  end.  On  a  question  so  vexed  as  that  which  relates 
to  the  meaning  of  this  discourse,  one  might  well  shrink  from 
entering.  But  the  very  confusion  which  prevails  here  points 
it  out  as  our  plain  duty  to  disregard  the  din  of  conflicting 
interpretations,  and,  humbly  praying  to  be  taught  of  God,  to 
search  for  and  set  forth  Christ's  own  mind. 

The  sermon  on  the  bread  of  life,  however  strangely  it 
sounds,  was  appropriate  both  in  matter  and  manner  to  the 
circumstances  in  which  it  was  delivered.  It  was  natural  and 
seasonable  that  Jesus  should  speak  to  the  people  of  the  meat 
that  endureth  unto  everlasting  life  after  miraculously  provid- 
ing perishable  food  to  supply  their  physical  wants.  It  was 
even  natural  and  seasonable  that  He  should  speak  of  this  high 
topic  in  the  startling,  apparently  gross,  harsh  style  which  He 


136  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

adopted  on  the  occasion.  The  form  of  thought  suited  the 
situation.  Passover  time  was  approaching,  when  the  paschal 
lamb  was  slain  and  eaten ;  and  if  Jesus  desired  to  say  in 
effect,  without  saying  it  in  so  many  words,  "  I  am  the  true 
Paschal  Lamb,"  what  more  suitable  form  of  language  could 
He  employ  than  this:  "The  bread  that  I  will  give  is  my 
flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world  "  .-'  The  style 
was  also  adapted  to  the  peculiar  complexion  of  the  speaker's 
feelings  at  the  moment.  Jesus  was  in  a  sad,  austere  mood 
when  He  preached  this  sermon.  The  foolish  enthusiasm  of 
the  multitude  had  saddened  Him.  Their  wish  to  force  a 
crown  on  His  head  made  Him  think  of  His  cross  ;  for  He 
knew  that  this  idolatrous  devotion  to  a  political  Messiah 
meant  death  sooner  or  later  to  one  who  declined  such  carnal 
homage.  He  spoke,  therefore,  in  the  synagogue  of  Caper- 
naum with  Calvary  in  view,  setting  Himself  forth  as  the  life 
of  the  world  in  terms  applicable  to  a  sacrificial  victim,  whose 
blood  is  shed,  and  whose  flesh  is  eaten  by  those  presenting 
the  offering;  not  mincing  His  words,  but  saying  every  thing 
in  the  strongest  and  intensest  manner  possible. 

The  theme  of  this  memorable  address  was  very  naturally 
introduced  by  the  preceding  conversation  between  Jesus  and 
the  people  who  came  from  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  hoping 
to  find  Him  at  Capernaum,  His  usual  place  of  abode.'  To 
their  warm  inquiries  as  to  how  He  came  thither.  He  replied 
by  a  chilling  observation  concerning  the  true  motive  of  their 
zeal,  and  an  exhortation  to  set  their  hearts  on  a  higher  food 
than  that  which  perisheth.^  Understanding  the  exhortation 
as  a  counsel  to  cultivate  piety,  the  persons  to  whom  it  was 
addressed  inquired  what  they  should  do  that  they  might 
work  the  works  of  God,  i.e.  please  God.^  Jesus  replied  by 
declaring  that  the  great  testing  work  of  the  hour  was  to 
receive  Himself  as  one  whom  God  had  sent.*  This  led  to  a 
demand  on  their  part  for  evidence  in  support  of  this  high 
claim  to  be  the  divinely  missioned  Messiah.  The  miracle 
just  wrought  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake  was  great,  but  not 

•  John  vi.  24.  Luthardt  very  properly  points  out  that  the  fact  of  the  people  expect- 
ing to  find  Jesus  in  Capernaum  implies  such  a  residence  there  as  the  synoptical  Gospels 
inform  us  of.  —  Das  jfok.  Evang.  ii.  50. 

*  Vers.  26,  27. 

3  Ver.  28.  <  Ver.  29. 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  137 

great  enough,  they  thought,  to  justify  such  lofty  pretensions. 
In  ancient  times  a  whole  nation  had  been  fed  for  many  years 
by  bread  brought  down  from  heaven  by  Moses.  What  was 
the  recent  miracle  compared  to  that }  He  must  show  a  sign 
on  a  far  grander  scale,  if  He  wished  them  to  believe  that  a 
greater  than  Moses  was  here.'  Jesus  took  up  the  challenge, 
and  boldly  declared  that  the  manna,  wonderful  as  it  was,  was 
not  the  true  heavenly  bread.  There  was  another  bread,  of 
which  the  manna  was  but  the  type  :  like  it,  coming  down 
from  heaven  ;  ^  but  unlike  it,  giving  life  not  to  a  nation,  but 
to  a  world,  and  not  life  merely  for  a  few  short  years,  but  life 
for  eternity.  This  announcement,  like  the  similar  one 
concerning  the  wonderful  water  of  life  made  to  the  woman 
of  Samaria,  provoked  desire  in  the  hearts  of  the  hearers,  and 
they  exclaimed,  "  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this  bread."  Then 
said  Jesus  unto  them,  "  I  am  the  bread  of  life  :  he  that 
Cometh  unto  me  shall  never  hunger ;  and  he  that  believeth 
on  me  shall  never  thirst."  ^ 

In  these  words  Jesus  briefly  enunciated  the  doctrine  of 
the  true  bread,  which  He  expounded  and  inculcated  in  His 
memorable  Capernaum  discourse.  The  doctrine,  as  stated, 
sets  forth  what  the  true  bread  is,  what  it  does,  and  how  it  is 
appropriated. 

I.  The  true  bread  is  He  who  here  speaks  of  it  —  Jesus 
Christ.  "I  am  the  bread."  The  assertion  implies,  on  the 
speaker's  part,  a  claim  to  have  descended  from  heaven  ;  for 
such  a  descent  is  one  of  the  properties  by  which  the  true 
bread  is  defined.'*  Accordingly  we  find  Jesus,  in  the  sequel 
of  His  discourse,  expressly  asserting  that  He  had  come  down 
from  heaven.5  This  declaration,  understood  in  a  super- 
natural sense,  was  the  first  thing  in  His  discourse  with  which 
His  hearers  found  fault.  "The  Jews  then  murmured  at 
Him,  because  He  said,  I  am  the  bread  whicJi  came  dozvn 
from  heaven.  And  they  said,  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son  of 
Joseph,  whose  father  and  mother  we  know }  how  is  it  then 
that  He  saith,  I  came  down  from  heaven  } "  ^    It  was  natural 


'  Vers.  30,  31.     Moses  is  not  named,  but  he  is  in  their  thoughts. 
^  6  Ka-ra.^aivu>v,  ver.  33,  refers  to  apros,  not  the  speaker  directly. 
3  John  vi.  32-35.  s  Vers.  38,  51,  58,  62. 

*  Ver.  33.  *•  Vers.  41,  42. 


138  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

they  should  murmur  if  they  did  not  know  or  believe  that 
there  was  any  thing  out  of  course  in  the  way  in  which 
Jesus  came  into  the  world.  For  such  language  as  He  here 
employs  could  not  be  used  without  blasphemy  by  a  mere 
man  born  after  the  fashion  of  other  men.  It  is  language 
proper  only  in  the  mouth  of  a  Divine  Being  who,  for  a 
purpose,  hath  assumed  human  nature. 

In  setting  Himself  forth,  therefore,  as  the  bread  which 
came  down  from  heaven,  Jesus  virtually  taught  the  doctrine 
of  the  incarnation.  The  solemn  assertion,  "  I  am  the  bread 
of  life,"  is  equivalent  in  import  to  that  made  by  the  evan- 
gelist respecting  Him  who  spoke  these  words  :  "The  Word 
became  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us,  full  of  grace  and  truth."  ' 

It  is,  however,  not  merely  as  incarnate  that  the  Son  of  God 
is  the  bread  of  eternal  life.  Bread  must  be  broken  in  order 
to  be  eaten.  The  Incarnate  One  must  die  as  a  sacrificial 
victim  that  men  may  truly  feed  upon  Him.  The  Word 
become  flesh,  and  crucified  in  the  flesh,  is  the  life  of  the 
world.  This  special  truth  Jesus  went  on  to  declare,  after 
having  stated  the  general  truth  that  the  heavenly  bread 
was  to  be  found  in  Himself.  "The  bread,"  said  He,  "  that  I 
will  give  is  my  flesh,  (which  I  will  give)  for  the  life  of  the 
world."  ^  The  language  here  becomes  modified  to  suit  the 
new  turn  of  thought.  "  I  am  "  passes  into  "  I  will  give," 
and  "bread  "  is  transformed  into  "  flesh." 

Jesus  evidently  refers  here  to  His  death.  His  hearers  did 
not  so  understand  Him,  but  we  can  have  no  doubt  on  the 
matter.  The  verb  "  give,"  suggesting  a  sacrificial  act,  and 
the  future  tense  both  point  that  way.  In  words  dark  and 
mysterious  before  the  event,  clear  as  day  after  it,  the  speaker 
declares  the  great  truth,  that  His  death  is  to  be  the  life  of 
men  ;  that  His  broken  body  and  shed  blood  are  to  be  as 
meat  and  drink  to  a  perishing  world,  conferring  on  all  who 
shall  partake  of  them  the  gift  of  immortality.  How  He  is  to 
die,  and  why  His  death  shall  possess  such  virtue.  He  does 
not  here  explain.     The  Capernaum  discourse  makes  no  men- 

'  John  i.  14. 

2  John  vi.  51.  The  words  in  the  original  represented  by  those  within  brackets  are  of 
doubtful  authority,  but  the  sense  is  the  same  whether  they  be  erased  or  retained.  The 
first  Sticrw  contains  the  idea. 


The   Galilean   Crisis,  139 

tion  of  the  cross  ;  it  contains  no  theory  of  atonement,  the 
time  is  not  come  for  such  details ;  it  simply  asserts  in  broad, 
strong  terms  that  the  flesh  and  blood  of  the  incarnate  Son  of 
God,  severed  as  in  death,  are  the  source  of  eternal  life. 

This  mention  by  Jesus  of  His  flesh  as  the  bread  from 
heaven  gave  rise  to  a  new  outburst  of  murmuring  among  His 
hearers,  "  They  strove  among  themselves,  saying.  How  can 
this  man  give  us  His  flesh  to  eat  ? "  '  Jesus  had  not  yet 
said  that  His  flesh  must  be  eaten,  but  they  took  for  granted 
that  such  was  His  meaning.  They  were  right ;  and  accord- 
ingly He  went  on  to  say,  with  the  greatest  solemnity  and 
emphasis,  that  they  must  even  eat  His  flesh  and  drink  His 
blood.  Unless  they  did  that,  they  should  have  no  life  in 
them  ;  if  they  did  that,  they  should  have  life  in  all  its  fulness 
—  life  eternal  both  in  body  and  in  soul.  For  His  flesh  was 
the  true  food,  and  His  blood  was  the  true  drink.  They  who 
partook  of  these  would  share  in  His  own  life.  He  should 
dwell  in  them,  incorporated  with  their  very  being ;  and  they 
should  dwell  in  Him  as  the  ground  of  their  being.  They 
should  live  as  secure  against  death  by  Him,  as  He  lived  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting  by  the  Father.  "This,  therefore," 
said  the  speaker,  reverting  in  conclusion  to  the  proposition 
with  which  he  started,  "  this  (even  my  flesh)  is  that  bread 
which  came  down  from  Heaven ;  not  as  your  fathers  did  eat 
manna  and  are  dead :  he  that  eateth  of  this  bread  shall  live 
forever."  ^ 

A  third  expression  of  disapprobation  ensuing  led  Jesus  to 
put  the  copestone  on  His  high  doctrine  of  the  bread  of 
life,  by  making  a  concluding  declaration,  which  must  have 
appeared  at  the  time  the  most  mysterious  and  unintelHgible 
of  all :  that  the  bread  which  descended  from  heaven  must 
ascend  up  thither  again,  in  order  to  be  to  the  full  extent  the 
bread  of  everlasting  life.  Doth  this  offend  you  }  asked  He 
at  His  hearers  :  this  which  I  have  just  said  about  your  eating 
my  flesh  and  blood ;  what  will  ye  say  "  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son 
of  man  ascend  up  where  He  was  before  .?  "  ^     The  question 

'  John  vi.  52. 

2  John  vi.  53-58.  In  ver.  55  the  reading  vibrates  between  dArjeo)?  and  aAtje^s.  Ver. 
57,  Sii  -vhv  narepa  means  literally  "  on  account  of,"  but  "  by  "  gives  the  practical  sense.   So 

with  6t'  eixe. 

3  John  vi.  61,  62. 


1 40  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

was  in  effect  an  afifirmation,  and  it  was  also  a  prophetic  hint, 
that  only  after  He  had  left  the  world  would  He  become  on 
an  extensive  scale  and  conspicuously  a  source  of  life  to  men  ; 
because  then  the  manna  of  grace  would  begin  to  descend 
not  only  on  the  wilderness  of  Israel,  but  on  all  the  barren 
places  of  the  earth  ;  and  the  truth  in  Him,  the  doctrine  of 
His  life,  death,  and  resurrection,  would  become  meat  indeed 
and  drink  indeed  unto  a  multitude,  not  of  murmuring 
hearers,  but  of  devout,  enlightened,  thankful  believers  ;  and 
no  one  would  need  any  longer  to  ask  for  a  sign  when  he 
could  find  in  the  Christian  church,  continuing  steadfastly  in 
the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  bread 
and  in  prayers,  the  best  evidence  that  He  had  spoken  truth 
who  said,  "  I  am  the  bread  of  life." 

2.  This,  then,  is  the  heavenly  bread  :  even  the  God-man 
incarnate,  crucified,  and  glorified.  Let  us  now  consider 
more  attentively  the  marvellous  virtue  of  this  bread.  It  is 
the  bread  of  life.  It  is  the  office  of  all  bread  to  sustain  life, 
but  it  is  the  peculiarity  of  this  divine  bread  to  give  eternal 
life.  "He  that  cometh  to  me,"  said  the  speaker,  "shall 
never  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth  on  me,  shall  never 
thirst."  "  With  reference  to  this  life-giving  power  He  called 
the  bread  of  which  He  spake  "  living  bread,"  and  meat 
indeed,  and  declared  that  he  who  ate  thereof  should  not  die, 
but  should  live  forever." 

In  commending  this  miraculous  bread  to  His  hearers, 
Jesus,  we  observe,  laid  special  stress  on  its  power  to  give 
eternal  life  even  to  the  body  of  man.  Four  times  over  He 
declared  in  express  terms  that  all  who  partook  of  this  bread 
of  life  should  be  raised  again  at  the  last  day.^  The  promi- 
nence thus  given  to  the  resurrection  of  the  body  is  due  in 
part  to  the  fact  that  throughout  His  discourse  Jesus  was 
drawing  a  contrast  between  the  manna  which  fed  the 
Israelites  in  the  desert  and  the  true  bread  of  which  it  was 
the  type.  The  contrast  was  most  stril^ing  just  at  this  point. 
The  manna  was  merely  a  substitute  for  ordinary  food  ;  it 
had  no  power  to  ward  off  death  :  the  generation  which  had 
been  so  miraculously  supported  passed  away  from  the  earth, 
like  all  other  generations   of   mankind.     Therefore,  argued 

'  John  vi.  35.  2  John  vi.  51,  55,  50.  3  John  vi.  39,  40,  44,  54, 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  141 

Jesus,  it  could  not  be  the  true  bread  from  heaven  ;  for  the 
true  bread  must  be  capable  of  destroying  death,  and  endow- 
ing the  recipients  with  the  power  of  an  endless  existence. 
A  man  who  eats  thereof  must  not  die ;  or  dying,  must  rise 
again.  "  Your  fathers  did  eat  manna  in  the  wilderness,  and 
are  dead.  This  is  the  bread  which  cometh  down  from 
heaven,  that  a  man  may  eat  thereof,  and  not  die."  ' 

But  the  prominence  given  to  the  resurrection  of  the  body 
is  due  mainly  to  its  intrinsic  importance.  For  if  the  dead  rise 
not,  then  is  our  faith  vain,  and  the  bread  of  life  degenerates 
into  a  mere  quack  nostrum,  pretending  to  virtues  which  it 
does  not  possess.  True,  it  may  still  give  spiritual  life  to 
those  who  eat  thereof,  but  what  is  that  without  the  hope  of  a 
life  hereafter  .-'  Not  much,  according  to  Paul,  who  says,  "  If 
in  this  life  only  we  have  hope  in  Christ,  we  are  of  all  men 
most  miserable."  ^  Many,  indeed,  in  our  day  do  not  concur 
in  the  apostle's  judgment.  They  think  that  the  doctrine  of 
the  life  everlasting  may  be  left  out  of  the  creed  without  loss 
—  nay,  even  with  positive  advantage,  to  the  Christian  faith. 
The  life  of  a  Christian  seems  to  them  so  much  nobler  when 
all  thought  of  future  reward  or  punishment  is  dismissed  from 
the  mind.  How  grand,  to  pass  through  the  wilderness  of  this 
world  feeding  on  the  manna  supplied  in  the  high,  pure 
teaching  of  Jesus,  without  caring  whether  there  be  a  land  of 
Canaan  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan  !  Very  sublime  indeed  ! 
but  why,  in  that  case,  come  into  the  wilderness  at  all .''  why 
not  remain  in  Egypt,  feeding  on  more  substantial  and  palat- 
able viands  .■•  The  children  of  Israel  would  not  have  left 
the  house  of  bondage  unless  they  had  hoped  to  reach  the 
promised  land.  An  immortal  hope  is  equally  necessary  to 
the  Christian.  He  must  believe  in  a  world  to  come  in  order 
to  live  above  the  present  evil  world.  If  Christ  cannot  redeem 
the  body  from  the  power  of  the  grave,  then  it  is  in  vain  that 
He  promises  to  redeem  us  from  guilt  and  sin.  The  bread  of 
life  is  unworthy  of  the  name,  unless  it  hath  power  to  cope 
with  physical  as  well  as  with  moral  corruption. 

Hence  the  prominence  given  by  Jesus  in  this  discourse  to 
the  resurrection  of  the  body.  He  knew  that  here  lay  the 
crucial  experiment  by  which  the  value  and  virtue  of  the  bread 

'  John  vi.  49,  50.  *  I  Cor.  xv.  19. 


142  The  T7'amhig  of  ike   Twelve. 

He  offered  to  His  hearers  must  be  tested.  "  You  call  this 
bread  the  bread  of  life,  in  contrast  to  the  manna  of  ancient 
times  :  —  do  you  mean  to  say  that,  like  the  tree  of  life  in  the 
garden  of  Eden,  it  will  confer  on  those  who  eat  thereof  the 
gift  of  a  blessed  immortality  ? "  "  Yes,  I  do,"  replied 
the  Preacher  in  effect  to  this  imaginary  question  :  "  this 
bread  I  offer  you  will  not  merely  quicken  the  soul  to  a  higher, 
purer  life  ;  it  will  even  revivify  your  bodies,  and  make  the 
corruptible  put  on  incorruption,  and  the  mortal  put  on 
immortality," 

3.  And  how,  then,  is  this  wondrous  bread  to  be  appro- 
priated that  one  may  experience  its  vitalizing  influences  ? 
Bread,  of  course,  is  eaten  ;  but  what  does  eating  in  this  case 
mean  ?  It  means,  in  one  word, faith.  "He  that  conicth  to 
me  shall  never  hunger,  and  he  that  believetJi  in  me  shall  never 
thirst."  '  Eating  Christ's  flesh  and  drinking  His  blood,  and, 
we  may  add,  drinking  the  water  of  which  he  spake  to  the 
woman  by  the  well,  all  signify  believing  in  Him  as  He  is 
offered  to  men  in  the  gospel  :  the  Son  of  God  manifested  in 
the  flesh,  crucified,  raised  from  the  dead,  ascended  into  glory  ; 
the  Prophet,  the  Priest,  the  King,  and  the  Mediator  between 
God  and  man.  Throughout  the  Capernaum  discourse  eating 
and  believing  are  used  interchangeably  as  equivalents.  Thus, 
in  one  sentence,  we  find  Jesus  saying,  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you.  He  that  believetJi  on  me  hath  everlasting  life  :  I  am 
that  bread  of  life  ;  "  ^  and  shortly  after  remarking,  "  I  am  the 
living  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven  :  If  any  man  eat 
of  this  bread  he  shall  live  forever."  ^  If  any  further  argu- 
ment were  necessary  to  justify  the  identifying  of  eating  with 
believing,  it  might  be  found  in  the  instruction  given  by  the 
Preacher  to  His  hearers  before  He  began  to  speak  of  the 
bread  of  life  :  "  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  on 
Him  whom  He  hath  sent."  ^  That  sentence  furnishes  the 
key  to  the  interpretation  of  the  whole  subsequent  discourse. 
"  Believe,"  said  Jesus,  with  reference  to  the  foregoing  inquiry, 
What  shall  we  do,  that  we  might  work  the  works  of  God  ?  — 
"  Believe,  and  thou  hast  done  God's  work."  "  Believe,"  we 
may  understand  Him  as  saying  with  reference  to  an  inquiry, 

'  John  vi.  35.  3  Ver.  51. 

*  Vers.  47,  48.     ,  ■*  Ver.  29. 


The   Galilean    Crisis.  143 

How  shall  we  eat  this  bread  of  life? — "Believe,  and  thou 
hast  eaten." 

Believe,  and  thou  hast  eaten  :  such  was  the  formula  in 
which  Augustine  expressed  his  view  of  Christ's  meaning  in 
the  Capernaum  discourse.'  The  saying  is  not  only  terse,  but 
true,  in  our  judgment  ;  but  it  has  not  been  accepted  by  all 
interpreters.  Many  hold  that  eating  and  faith  are  something 
distinct,  and  would  express  the  relation  between  them  thus  : 
Believe,  and  thou  shalt  eat.  Even  Calvin  objected  to  the 
Augustinian  formula.  Distinguishing  his  own  views  from  those 
held  by  the  followers  of  Zwingli,  he  says  :  "  To  them  to  eat 
is  simply  to  beheve.  I  say  that  Christ's  flesh  is  eaten  in 
believing  because  it  is  made  ours  by  faith,  and  that  that  eating 
is  the  fruit  and  effect  of  faith.  Or  more  clearly  :  To  them 
eating  is  faith,  to  me  it  seems  rather  to  follow  from  faith." ^ 

The  distinction  taken  by  Calvin  between  eating  and 
believing  seems  to  have  been  verbal  rather  than  real.  With 
many  other  theologians,  however,  it  is  far  otherwise.  All 
upholders  of  the  magical  doctrines  of  transubstantiation 
and  consubstantiation  contend  for  the  literal  interpretation 
of  the  Capernaum  discourse  even  in  its  strongest  statements. 
Eating  Christ's  flesh  and  drinking  His  blood  are,  for  such, 
acts  of  the  mouth,  accompanied  perhaps  with  acts  of  faith, 
but  not  merely  acts  of  faith.  It  is  assumed  for  the  most 
part  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  discourse  recorded  in 
the  sixth  chapter  of  John's  Gospel  has  reference  to  the 
sacrament  of  the  Supper,  and  that  only  on  the  hypothesis 
of  such  a  reference  can  the  peculiar  phraseology  of  the  dis- 
course be  explained.  Christ  spoke  then  of  eating  His  flesh 
and  drinking  His  blood,  so  we  are  given  to  understand, 
because  He  had  in  His  mind  that  mystic  rite  ere  long  to  be 
instituted,  in  which  bread  and  wine  should  not  merely  repre- 
sent, but  become,  the  constituent  elements  of  His  crucified 
body. 

While  the  sermon  on  the  bread  of  life  continues  to  be 
mixed  up  with  sacramentarian  controversies,  agreement  in 
its  interpretation  is  altogether  hopeless.  Meantime,  till  a 
better  day  dawn  on  a  divided  and  distracted  church,  every 

'  Crede  et  nianducasti.  —  In  Joannis  Evangelium  Tract,  xxv.  §  12. 
*  Calv.  Institutio  IV.  xvii.  5. 


144  '^^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

man  must  endeavor  to  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind. 
Three  things  are  clear  to  our  mind.  First,  it  is  incorrect  to 
say  that  the  sermon  delivered  in  the  Capernaum  synagogue 
refers  to  the  sacrament  of  the  Supper.  The  true  state  of 
the  case  is,  that  both  refer  to  a  third  thing,  viz.  the  death 
of  Christ,  and  both  declare,  in  different  ways,  the  same 
thing  concerning  it.  The  sermon  says  in  symbolic  words 
what  the  Supper  says  in  a  symbolic  act  :  that  Christ  cruci- 
fied is  the  life  of  men,  the  world's  hope  of  salvation.  The 
sermon  says  more  than  this,  for  it  speaks  of  Christ's 
ascension  as  well  as  of  His  death ;  but  it  says  this  for  one 
thing. 

A  second  point  on  which  we  are  clear  is,  that  it  is  quite 
unnecessary  to  assume  a  mental  reference  by  anticipation  to 
the  Holy  Supper,  in  order  to  account  for  the  peculiarity  of 
Christ's  language  in  this  famous  discourse.  As  we  saw  at 
the  beginning,  the  whole  discourse  rose  naturally  out  of  the 
present  situation.  The  mention  by  the  people  of  the  manna 
naturally  led  Jesus  to  speak  of  the  bread  of  life  ;  and  from 
the  bread  He  passed  on  as  naturally  to  speak  of  the  flesh 
and  the  blood,  because  he  could  not  fully  be  bread  until  He 
had  become  flesh  and  blood  dissevered,  i.e.  until  He  had 
endured  death.  All  that  we  find  here  might  have  been  said, 
in  fact,  although  the  sacrament  of  the  Supper  had  never 
existed.  The  Supper  is  of  use  not  so  much  for  interpreting 
the  sermon  as  for  establishing  its  credibility  as  an  authentic 
utterance  of  Jesus.  There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  He 
who  instituted  the  mystic  feast,  could  also  have  preached 
this  mystic  sermon. 

The  third  truth  which  shines  clear  as  a  star  to  our  eye  is, 
—  that  through  faith  alone  we  may  attain  all  the  blessings 
of  salvation.  Sacraments  are  very  useful,  but  they  are 
not  necessary.  If  it  had  pleased  Christ  not  to  institute 
them,  we  could  have  got  to  heaven  notwithstanding.  Be- 
cause He  has  instituted  them,  it  is  our  duty  to  celebrate 
them,  and  we  may  expect  benefit  from  their  celebration. 
But  the  benefit  we  receive  is  simply  an  aid  to  faith,  and 
nothing  which  cannot  be  received  by  faith.  Christians  eat 
the  flesh  and  drink  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  man  at  all  times, 
not  merely  at  communion  times,  simply  by  believing  in  Him. 


The   Galilean   Ci'isis.  145 

They  eat  His  flesh  and  drink  His  blood  at  His  table  in  the 
same  sense  as  at  other  times  ;  only  perchance  in  a  livelier 
manner,  their  hearts  being  stirred  up  to  devotion  by  remem- 
brance of  His  dying  love,  and  their  faith  aided  by  seeing, 
handling,  and  tasting  the  bread  and  the  wine. 

Section  IV.  —  The  Sifting. 

John  vi.  66-71. 

The  sermon  on  the  bread  of  life  produced  decisive  effects. 
It  converted  popular  enthusiasm  for  Jesus  into  disgust ;  like 
a  fan,  it  separated  true  from  false  disciples  ;  and  like  a 
winnowing  breeze,  it  blew  the  chaff  away,  leaving  a  small 
residuum  of  wheat  behind.  "  From  that  time  many  of  His 
disciples  went  back,  and  walked  no  more  with  Him." 

This  result  did  not  take  Jesus  by  surprise.  He  expected 
it ;  in  a  sense  He  wished  it,  though  He  was  deeply  grieved 
by  it.  For  while  His  large,  loving  human  heart  yearned  for 
the  salvation  of  all,  and  desired  that  all  should  come  and  get 
life,  He  wanted  none  to  come  to  Him  under  misapprehension, 
or  to  follow  Him  from  by-ends.  He  sought  disciples  God- 
given,'  God-drawn, 2  God-taught,^  knowing  that  such  alone 
would  continue  in  His  word.'*  He  was  aware  that  in  the 
large  mass  of  people  who  had  recently  followed  Him  were 
many  disciples  of  quite  another  description  ;  and  He  was  not 
unwilling  that  the  mixed  multitude  should  be  sifted.  There- 
fore He  preached  that  mystic  discourse,  fitted  to  be  a  savor 
of  life  or  of  death  according  to  the  spiritual  state  of  the 
hearer.  Therefore,  also,  when  offence  was  taken  at  the 
doctrine  taught.  He  plainly  declared  the  true  cause,^  and 
expressed  His  assurance  that  only  those  whom  His  Father 
taught  and  drew  would  or  could  really  come  unto  Him.^ 
These  things  He  said  not  with  a  view  to  irritate,  but  He 
deemed  it  right  to  say  them  though  they  should  give  rise  to 
irritation,  reckoning  that  true  believers  would  take  all  in  good 
part,  and  that  those  who  took  umbrage  would  thereby  reveal 
their  true  character. 

The  apostatizing  disciples  doubtless  thought   themselves 

'  John  vi.  37.  3  John  vi.  45.  s  John  vi.  36,  37. 

2  John  vi,  44.  *  John  viii.  31.  ^  John  vi.  44. 


1 46  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

fully  justified  in  withdrawing  from  the  society  of  Jesus. 
They  turned  their  back  on  Him,  we  fancy,  in  most  virtuous 
indignation,  saying  in  their  hearts — nay,  probably  saying 
aloud  to  one  another :  "  Who  ever  heard  the  like  of  that  ? 
how  absurd  !  how  revolting  !  The  man  who  can  speak  thus 
is  either  a  fool,  or  is  trying  to  make  fools  of  his  hearers." 
And  yet  the  hardness  of  His  doctrine  was  not  the  real  reason 
which  led  so  many  to  forsake  Him  ;  it  was  simply  the 
pretext,  the  most  plausible  and  respectable  reason  that  they 
could  assign  for  conduct  springing  from  other  motives.  The 
grand  offence  of  Jesus  was  this  :  He  was  not  the  man  they 
had  taken  Him  for;  He  was  not  going  to  be  at  their  service 
to  promote  the  ends  they  had  in  view.  Whatever  He  meant 
by  the  bread  of  life,  or  by  eating  His  flesh,  it  was  plain  that 
He  was  not  going  to  be  a  bread-king,  making  it  His  business 
to  furnish  supplies  for  their  physical  appetites,  ushering  in  a 
golden  age  of  idleness  and  plenty.  That  ascertained,  it  was 
all  over  with  Him  so  far  as  they  were  concerned  :  He  might 
offer  His  heavenly  food  to  whom  He  pleased  ;  they  wanted 
none  of  it. 

Deeply  affected  by  the  melancholy  sight  of  so  many  human 
beings  deliberately  preferring  material  good  to  eternal  life, 
Jesus  turned  to  the  twelve,  and  said,  "  Will  ye  also  go  away  ?  " 
or  more  exactly,  "  You  do  not  wish  to  go  away  too,  do  you  .''  "  ' 
The  question  may  be  understood  as  a  virtual  expression  of 
confidence  in  the  persons  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  and  as  an 
appeal  to  them  for  sympathy  at  a  discouraging  crisis.  And 
yet,  while  a  negative  answer  was  expected  to  the  question,  it 
was  not  expected  as  a  matter  of  course.  Jesus  was  not 
without  solicitude  concerning  the  fidelity  even  of  the  twelve. 
He  interrogated  them,  as  conscious  that  they  were  placed  in 
trying  circumstances,  and  that  if  they  did  not  actually  forsake 
Him  now,  as  at  the  great  final  crisis,  they  were  at  least 
tempted  to  be  offended  in  Him. 

A  little  reflection  suffices  to  satisfy  us  that  the  twelve 
were  indeed  placed  in  a  position  at  this  time  calculated  to  try 
their  faith  most  severely.  For  one  thing,  the  mere  fact 
of  their  Master  being  deserted  wholesale  by  the  crowd  of 

'  John  vi.  67.  The  particle  ^-^  implies  that  a  negative  answer  is  looked  for.  See 
Winer,  Nentest.  Grammatik,  §  57,  Moulton's  translation,  p.  641. 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  147 

quondam  admirers  and  followers  involved  for  the  chosen  band 
a  temptation  to  apostasy.  How  mighty  is  the  power  of 
sympathy  !  how  ready  are  we  all  to  follow  the  multitude, 
regardless  of  the  way  they  are  going !  and  how  much  moral 
courage  it  requires  to  stand  alone  !  How  difificult  to  witness 
the  spectacle  of  thousands,  or  even  hundreds,  going  off  in 
sullen  disaffection,  without  feeling  an  impulse  to  imitate  their 
bad  example  !  how  hard  to  keep  one's  self  from  being  carried 
along  with  the  powerful  tide  of  adverse  popular  opinion ! 
Especially  hard  it  must  have  been  for  the  twelve  to  resist  the 
tendency  to  apostatize  if,  as  is  more  than  probable,  they 
sympathized  with  the  project  entertained  by  the  multitude 
when  their  enthusiasm  for  Jesus  was  at  full-tide.  If  it  would 
have  gratified  them  to  have  seen  their  beloved  Master  made 
king  by  popular  acclamation,  bow  their  spirits  must  have 
sunk  when  the  bubble  burst,  and  the  would-be  subjects 
of  the  Messianic  Prince  were  dispersed  like  an  idle  mob,  and 
the  kingdom  which  had  seemed  so  near  vanished  like  a 
cloudland ! 

Another  circumstance  trying  to  the  faith  of  the  twelve 
was  the  strange,  mysterious  character  of  their  Master's  dis- 
course in  the  synagogue  of  Capernaum.  That  discourse 
contained  hard,  repulsive,  unintelligible  sayings  for  them 
quite  as  much  as  for  the  rest  of  the  audience.  Of  this  we 
can  have  no  doubt  when  we  consider  the  repugnance  with 
which  some  time  afterward  they  received  the  announcement 
that  Jesus  was  destined  to  be  put  to  death.'  If  they  objected 
even  to  the  fact  of  His  death,  how  could  they  understand  its 
meaning,  especially  when  both  fact  and  meaning  were  spoken 
of  in  such  a  veiled  and  mystic  style  as  that  which  pervades 
the  sermon  on  the  bread  of  life  1  While,  therefore,  they 
believed  that  their  Master  had  the  words  of  eternal  life,  and 
perceived  that  His  late  discourse  bore  on  that  high  theme, 
it  may  be  regarded  as  certain  that  the  twelve  did  not  under- 
stand the  words  spoken  any  more  than  the  multitude,  how- 
ever much  they  might  try  to  do  so.  They  knew  not  what 
connection  existed  between  Christ's  flesh  and  eternal  life, 
how  eating  that  flesh  could  confer  any  benefit,  or  even  what 
eating  it  might  mean.     They  had  quite    lost    sight    of   the 

'  Matt.  xvi.  22. 


1 48  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Speaker  in  His  eagle  flight  of  thought ;  and  they  must  have 
looked  on  in  distress  as  the  people  melted  away,  painfully 
conscious  that  they  could  not  altogether  blame  them. 

Yet,  however  greatly  tempted  to  forsake  their  Master,  the 
twelve  did  abide  faithfully  by  His  side.  They  did  come 
safely  through  the  spiritual  storm.  What  was  the  secret  of 
their  steadfastness }  what  were  the  anchors  that  preserved 
them  from  shipwreck .-'  These  questions  are  of  practical 
interest  to  all  who,  like  the  apostles  at  this  crisis,  are 
tempted  to  apostasy  by  evil  example  or  by  religious  doubt ; 
by  the  fashion  of  the  world  they  live  in,  whether  scientific 
or  illiterate,  refined  or  rustic  ;  or  by  the  deep  things  of  God, 
whether  these  be  the  mysteries  of  providence,  the  mysteries 
of  revelation,  or  the  mysteries  of  religious  experience  :  we 
may  say,  indeed,  to  all  genuine  Christians,  for  what  Christian 
has  not  been  tempted  in  one  or  other  of  these  ways  at  some 
period  in  his  history } 

Sufficient  materials  for  answering  these  questions  are 
supplied  in  the  words  of  Simon  Peter's  response  to  Jesus. 
As  spokesman  for  the  whole  company,  that  disciple  promptly 
said  :  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go }  Thou  hast  the  words 
of  eternal  life.  And  we  believe  and  know  that  Thou  art 
that  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,"  '  or,  according  to 
the  reading  preferred  by  most  critics,  "  that  Thou  art  the 
Holy  One  of  God."^ 

Three  anchors,  we  infer  from  these  words,  helped  the 
twelve  to  ride  out  the  storm  :  Religious  eainicstness  or  sin- 
cerity;  a  clear  perception  of  the  alternatives  before  them  ;  and 
implicit  confidence  in  the  character  and  attachment  to  the 
person  of  their  Master. 

I.  The  twelve,  as  a  body,  were  sincere  and  thoroughly  in 
earnest  in  religion.  Their  supreme  desire  was  to  know  "  the 
words  of  eternal  life,"  and  actually  to  gain  possession  of 
that  life.  Their  concern  was  not  about  the  meat  that 
perisheth,  but  about  the  higher  heavenly  food  of  the  soul 
which  Christ  had  in  vain  exhorted  the  majority  of  His 
hearers  to  labor  for.     As  yet  they  knew  not  clearly  wherein 

'  John  vi.  68,  69. 

''■  See  Alford  in  loc.    The  confession  of  Christ's  holiness  was  appropriate,  as  meeting 
an  implied  charge  of  having  uttered  language  shocking  to  the  moral  feelings. 


The   Galilean   Crisis,  149 

that  food  consisted,  but  according  to  their  Hght  they  sin- 
cerely prayed,  "  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this  bread."  Hence 
it  was  no  disappointment  to  them  that  Jesus  decHned  to 
become  a  purveyor  of  mere  material  food  :  they  had  never 
expected  or  wished  Him  to  do  so;  they  had  joined  His 
company  with  entirely  different  expectations.  A  certain 
element  of  error  might  be  mingled  with  truth  in  their 
conceptions  of  His  Mission,  but  the  gross,  carnal  hopes  of 
the  multitude  had  no  place  in  their  breasts.  They  became 
not  disciples  to  better  their  worldly  circumstances,  but  to 
obtain  a  portion  which  the  world  could  neither  give  them 
nor  take  from  them. 

What  we  have  now  stated  was  true  of  all  the  twelve  save 
one ;  and  the  crisis  we  are  at  present  considering  is  memor- 
able for  this,  among  other  things,  that  it  was  the  first  occasion 
on  which  Jesus  gave  a  hint  that  there  was  a  false  disciple 
among  the  men  whom  He  had  chosen.  To  justify  Himself 
for  asking  a  question  which  seemed  to  cast  a  doubt  upon 
their  fidelity,  He  replied  to  Peter's  protestation  by  the 
startling  remark  :  "  Did  not  I  choose  you  the  twelve,  and 
one  of  you  is  a  devil.-'"'  as  if  to  say:  "It  is  painful  to  me 
to  have  to  use  this  language  of  suspicion,  but  I  have  good 
cause  :  there  is  one  among  you  who  has  had  tJionghts  of  deser- 
tion, and  who  is  capable  even  of  treachery."  With  what 
sadness  of  spirit  must  He  have  made  such  an  intimation  at 
this  crisis  !  To  be  forsaken  by  the  fickle  crowd  of  shallow, 
thoughtless  followers  had  been  a  small  matter,  could  He 
have  reckoned  all  the  members  of  the  select  band  good  men 
and  true  friends.  But  to  have  an  enemy  in  one's  own 
house,  a  diabolus  capable  of  playing  Satan's  part  in  one's 
small  circle  of  intimate  companions  : — it  was  hard  indeed! 

But  how  could  a  man  destined  to  be  a  traitor,  and  deserving 
to  be  stigmatized  as  a  devil,  manage  to  pass  creditably  through 
the  present  crisis  1  Does  not  the  fact  seem  to  imply  that, 
after  all,  it  is  possible  to  be  steadfast  without  being  single- 
minded  }  Not  so  ;  the  only  legitimate  inference  is,  that 
the  crisis  was  not  searching  enough  to  bring  out  the  true 
character  of  Judas.  Wait  till  you  see  the  end.  A  little 
religion  will  carry  a  man  through  many  trials,  but  there  is 

'  John  vi.  70. 


150  The  Trai7iing  of  the  Twelve. 

an  experimentwn  crucis  which  nothing  but  sincerity  can 
stand.  If  the  mind  be  double,  or  the  heart  divided,  a  time 
comes  that  compels  men  to  act  according  to  the  motives 
that  are  deepest  and  strongest  in  them.  This  remark  applies 
especially  to  creative,  revolutionary,  or  transition  epochs.  In 
quiet  times  a  hypocrite  may  pass  respectably  through  this 
world,  and  never  be  detected  till  he  get  to  the  next,  whither 
his  sins  follow  him  to  judgment.  But  in  critical  eras  the  sins 
of  the  double-minded  find  them  out  in  this  life.  True,  even 
then  some  double-minded  men  can  stand  more  temptation 
than  others,  and  are  not  to  be  bought  so  cheaply  as  the 
common  herd.  But  all  of  them  have  their  price,  and  those 
who  fall  less  easily  than  others  fall  in  the  end  most  deeply 
and  tragically. 

Of  the  character  and  fall  of  Judas  we  shall  have  another 
opportunity  to  speak.  Our  present  object  is  simply  to  point 
out  that  from  such  as  he  Jesus  did  not  expect  constancy. 
By  referring  to  that  disciple  as  He  did,  He  intimated  His 
conviction  that  no  one  in  whom  the  love  of  God  and  truth 
was  not  the  deepest  principle  of  his  being  would  continue 
faithful  to  the  end.  In  effect  He  inculcated  the  necessity, 
in  order  to  steadfastness  in  faith,  of  moral  integrity,  or  godly 
sincerity. 

2.  The  second  anchor  by  which  the  disciples  were  kept 
from  shipwreck  at  this  season  was  a  clear  perception  of  the 
alternatives.  "  To  whom  shall  we  go  } "  asked  Peter,  as  one 
who  saw  that,  for  men  having  in  view  the  aim  pursued  by 
himself  and  his  brethren,  there  was  no  course  open  but  to 
remain  where  they  were.  He  had  gone  over  rapidly  in  his 
mind  all  the  possible  alternatives,  and  this  was  the  conclusion 
at  which  he  had  arrived.  "  To  whom  shall  we  go  — we  who 
seek  eternal  life  .■'  John,  our  former  master,  is  dead ;  and 
even  were  he  alive,  he  would  send  us  back  to  Thee.  Or 
shall  we  go  to  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  '^  We  have  been 
too  long  with  Thee  for  that ;  for  Thou  hast  taught  us 
the  superficiality,  the  hypocrisy,  the  ostentatiousness,  the 
essential  ungodlmess  of  their  religious  system.  Or  shall  we 
follow  the  fickle  multitude  there,  and  relapse  into  stupidity 
and  indifference.''  It  is  not  to  be  thought  of.  Or,  finally, 
shall  we  go  to  the  Sadducees,  the  idolaters  of  the  material 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  151 

and  the  temporal,  who  say  there  is  no  resurrection,  neither 
any  angels  nor  spirits  ?  God  forbid  !  That  were  to  renounce 
a  hope  dearer  than  life,  without  which  life  to  an  earnest 
mind  were  a  riddle,  a  contradiction,  and  an  intolerable 
burden." 

We  may  understand  what  a  help  this  clear  perception  of 
the  alternatives  was  to  Peter  and  his  brethren,  by  reflecting 
on  the  help  we  ourselves  might  derive  from  the  same 
source  when  tempted  by  dogmatic  difficulties  to  renounce 
Christianity.  It  would  make  one  pause  if  he  understood 
that  the  alternatives  open  to  him  were  to  abide  with  Christ, 
or  to  become  an  atheist,  ignoring  God  and  the  world  to 
come ;  that  when  he  leaves  Christ,  he  must  go  to  school 
to  some  of  the  great  masters  of  thoroughgoing  unbelief. 
In  the  works  of  a  well-known  German  author  is  a  dream, 
which  portrays  with  appalling  vividness  the  consequences 
that  would  ensue  throughout  the  universe  should  the  Creator 
cease  to  exist.  The  dream  was  invented,  so  the  gifted  writer 
tells  us,  for  the  purpose  of  frightening  those  who  discussed 
the  being  of  God  as  coolly  as  if  the  question  respected  the 
existence  of  the  Kraken  or  the  unicorn,  and  also  to  check 
all  atheistic  thoughts  which  might  arise  in  his  own  bosom. 
"If  ever,"  he  says,  "my  heart  should  be  so  unhappy  and 
deadened  as  to  have  all  those  feelings  which  affirm  the  being 
of  a  God  destroyed,  I  would  use  this  dream  to  frighten 
myself,  and  so  heal  my  heart,  and  restore  its  lost  feelings."  ' 
Such  benefit  as  Richter  expected  from  the  perusal  of  his 
own  dream,  would  any  one,  tempted  to  renounce  Christianity, 
derive  from  a  clear  perception  that  in  ceasing  to  be  a 
Christian  he  must  make  up  his  mind  to  accept  a  creed  which 
acknowledges  no  God,  no  soul,  no  hereafter. 

Unfortunately  it  is  not  so  easy  for  us  now  as  it  was  for 
Peter  to  see  clearly  what  the  alternatives  before  us  are.  Few 
are  so  clear-sighted,  so  recklessly  logical,  or  so  frank  as  the 
late  Dr.  Strauss,  who  in  his  latest  publication,  TJie  Old 
mid  the  Nezv  Faith,  plainly  says  that  he  is  no  longer  a 
Christian.  Hence  many  in  our  day  call  themselves  Christians 
whose  theory  of  the  universe  (or  Weltanschauung,  as  the 
Germans    call   it)  does    not    allow  them    to    believe    in    the 

'  J.  F.  Richter,  Siebenkds,  viii. 


152  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

miraculous  in  any  shape  or  in  any  sphere  ;  with  whom  it  is  an 
axiom  that  the  continuity  of  nature's  course  cannot  be  broken, 
and  who  therefore  cannot  even  go  the  length  of  Socinians  in 
their  view  of  Christ  and  declare  Him  to  be,  without  qualifi- 
cation, the  Holy  One  of  God,  the  morally  sinless  One.  Even 
men  like  Renan  claim  to  be  Christians,  and,  like  Balaam, 
bless  Him  whom  their  philosophy  compels  them  to  blame. 
Our  modern  Balaams  all  confess  that  Jesus  is  at  least  the 
holiest  of  men,  if  not  the  absolutely  Holy  One.  They  are 
constrained  to  bless  the  Man  of  Nazareth.  They  are  spell- 
bound by  the  Star  of  Bethlehem,  as  was  the  Eastern 
soothsayer  by  the  Star  of  Jacob,  and  are  forced  to  say  in 
effect :  "  How  shall  I  curse,  whom  God  hath  not  cursed  }  or 
how  shall  I  defy,  whom  the  Lord  hath  not  defied .''  Behold, 
I  have  received  commandment  to  bless  :  and  He  hath 
blessed  ;  and  I  cannot  reverse  it."  '  Others  not  going  so 
far  as  Renan,  shrinking  from  thoroughgoing  naturalism, 
believing  in  a  perfect  Christ,  a  moral  miracle,  yet  affect  a 
Christianity  independent  of  dogma,  and  as  little  as  possible 
encumbered  by  miracle,  a  Christianity  purely  ethical, 
consisting  mainly  in  admiration  of  Christ's  character  and 
moral  teaching  ;  and,  as  the  professors  of  such  a  Chris- 
tianity, regard  themselves  as  exemplary  disciples  of  Christ. 
Such  are  the  men  of  whom  the  author  of  Supernatural 
Religion  speaks  as  characterized  by  "a  tendency  to  eliminate 
from  Christianity,  with  thoughtless  dexterity,  every  super- 
natural element  which  does  not  quite  accord  with  current 
opinions,"  and  as  endeavoring  "to  arrest  for  a  moment  the 
pursuing  wolves  of  doubt  and  unbelief  by  practically  throwing 
to  them  scrap  by  scrap  the  very  doctrines  which  constitute 
the  claims  of  Christianity  to  be  regarded  as  a  divine  revelation 
at  all."  ^  Such  men  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  a  consistent 
theory  of  the  universe,  for  they  hold  opinions  based  on 
incompatible  theories,  are  naturalistic  in  tendency,  yet  will 
not  carry  out  naturalism  to  all  its  consequences.  They  are 
either  not  able,  or  are  disinclined,  to  realize  the  alternatives 
and  to  obey  the  voice  of  logic,  which  like  a  stern  policeman 
bids  them  "  Move  on  ; "  but  would  rather  hold  views  which 

•  Numb,  xxiii.  8,  20. 

*  Supernatural  Religion^  i.  92  (6th  ed.). 


The   Galilean   Crisis.  153 

unite  the  alternatives  in  one  compound  eclectic  creed,  like 
Schleiermacher,  —  himself  an  excellent  example  of  the  class, 
—  of  whom  Strauss  remarks  that  he  ground  down  Christian- 
ity and  Pantheism  to  powder,  and  so  mixed  them  that  it  is 
hard  to  say  where  Pantheism  ends  and  Christianity  begins. 
In  presence  of  such  a  spirit  of  compromise,  so  widespread, 
and  recommended  by  the  example  of  many  men  of  ability  and 
influence,  it  requires  some  courage  to  have  and  hold  a 
definite  position,  or  to  resist  the  temptation  to  yield  to  the 
current  and  adopt  the  watchword  :  Christianity  without 
dogma  and  miracle.  But  perhaps  it  will  be  easier  by  and  by 
to  realize  the  alternatives,  when  time  has  more  clearly  shown 
whither  present  tendencies  lead.  Meantime  it  is  the  evening 
twilight,  and  for  the  moment  it  seems  as  if  we  could  do 
without  the  sun,  for  though  he  is  below  the  horizon,  the  air 
is  still  full  of  light.  But  wait  awhile  ;  and  the  deepening 
of  the  twilight  into  the  darkness  of  night  will  show  how  far 
Christ  the  Holy  One  of  the  Church's  confession  can  be 
dispensed  with  as  the  Sun  of  the  spiritual  world. 

3.  The  third  anchor  whereby  the  twelve  were  enabled  to 
ride  out  the  storm,  was  confidence  in  the  character  of  their 
Master.  They  believed,  yea,  they  knew,  that  He  was  the 
Holy  One  of  God.  They  had  been  with  Jesus  long  enough 
to  have  come  to  very  decided  conclusions  respecting  Him. 
They  had  seen  Him  work  many  miracles  ;  they  had  heard 
Him  discourse  with  marvellous  wisdom,  in  parable  and 
sermon,  on  the  divine  kingdom ;  they  had  observed  His 
wondrously  tender,  gracious  concern  for  the  low  and  the 
lost  ;  they  had  been  present  at  His  various  encounters  with 
Pharisees,  and  had  noted  His  holy  abhorrence  of  their 
falsehood,  pride,  vanity,  and  tyranny.  All  this  blessed 
fellowship  had  begotten  a  confidence  in,  and  reverence  for, 
their  beloved  Master,  too  strong  to  be  shaken  by  a  single 
address  containing  some  statements  of  an  incomprehensible 
character,  couched  in  questionable  or  even  offensive  language. 
Their  intellect  might  be  perplexed,  but  their  heart  remained 
true  ;  and  hence,  while  others  who  knew  not  Jesus  well  went 
off  in  disgust,  they  continued  by  His  side,  feeling  that  such 
a  friend  and  guide  was  not  to  be  parted  with  for  a  trifle. 

"  We  believe  and  know,"  said  Peter.    He  believed  because 


154  '^^^^  Traini7tg  of  the  Twelve. 

he  knew.  Such  implicit  confidence  as  the  twelve  had  in 
Jesus  is  possible  only  through  intimate  knowledge ;  for  one 
cannot  thus  trust  a  stranger.  All,  therefore,  who  desire  to 
get  the  benefit  of  this  trust,  must  be  willing  to  spend  time 
and  take  trouble  to  get  into  the  heart  of  the  Gospel  story, 
and  of  its  great  subject.  The  sure  anchorage  is  not  attainable 
by  a  listless,  random  reading  of  the  evangelic  narratives, 
but  by  a  close,  careful,  prayerful  study,  pursued  it  may  be 
for  years.  Those  who  grudge  the  trouble  are  in  imminent 
danger  of  the  fate  which  befell  the  ignorant  multitude,  being 
liable  to  be  thrown  into  panic  by  every  new  infidel  book,  or 
to  be  scandalized  by  every  strange  utterance  of  the  Object 
of  faith.  Those,  on  the  other  hand,  who  do  take  the  trouble, 
will  be  rewarded  for  their  pains.  Storm-tossed  for  a  time, 
they  shall  at  length  reach  the  harbor  of  a  creed  which  is 
no  nondescript  compromise  between  infidelity  and  scriptural 
Christianity,  but  embraces  all  the  cardinal  facts  and  truths 
of  the  faith,  as  taught  by  Jesus  in  the  Capernaum  discourse, 
and  as  afterwards  taught  by  the  men  who  passed  safely 
through  the  Capernaum  crisis. 

May  God  in  His  mercy  guide  all  souls  now  out  in  the 
tempestuous  sea  of  doubt  into  that  haven  of  rest ! 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE    LEAVEN    OF    THE    PHARISEES    AND    SADDUCEES. 
Matt.  xvi.  1-12;  Mark  viii.  10-21. 

This  new  collision  between  Jesus  and  His  opponents  took 
place  shortly  after  a  second  miracle  of  feeding  similar  to 
that  performed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bethsaida  Julias. 
What  interval  of  time  elapsed  between  the  two  miracles 
cannot  be  ascertained  ; '  but  it  was  long  enough  to  admit 
of  an  extended  journey  on  the  part  of  our  Lord  and  His 
disciples  to  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  the  scene  of  the 
pathetic  meeting  with  the  Syrophenician  woman,  and  round 
from  thence  through  the  region  of  the  ten  cities,  on  the 
eastern  border  of  the  Galilean  lake.  It  was  long  enough 
also  to  allow  the  cause  and  the  fame  of  Jesus  to  recover 
from  the  low  state  to  which  they  sank  after  the  sifting 
sermon  in  the  synagogue  of  Capernaum.  The  unpopular 
One  had  again  become  popular,  so  that  on  arriving  at  the 
south-eastern  shore  of  the  lake  He  found  Himself  attended 
by  thousands,  so  intent  on  hearing  Him  preach,  and  on 
experiencing  His  healing  power,  that  they  remained  with 
Him  three  days,  almost,  if  not  entirely,  without  food,  thus 
creating  a  necessity  for  the  second  miraculous  repast. 

After  the  miracle  on  the  south-eastern  shore,  Jesus,  we 
read,  sent  away  the  multitude  ;  and  taking  ship,  came  into 
the  coasts  of  Magdala,  on  the  western  side  of  the  sea.^  It 
was  on  His  arrival  there  that  He  encountered  the  party  who 
came  seeking  of  Him  a  sign  from  heaven.  These  persons 
had  probably  heard  of  the  recent  miracle,  as  of  many  others 

'  The  chronological  relation  of  the  events  recorded  in  Matt.  xv.  and  xvi.  to  the  feast 
of  tabernacles  spoken  of  in  John  vii.  is  an  important  question.  It  is  one,  however,  on 
which  the  learned  differ,  and  certainly  is  unattainable. 

^  Matt.  XV.  39. 


156  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

wrought  by  Him  ;  but,  unwilling  to  accept  the  conclusion 
to  which  these  wondrous  works  plainly  led,  they  affected  to 
regard  them  as  insufficient  evidence  of  His  Messiahship,  and 
demanded  still  more  unequivocal  proof  before  giving  in  their 
adherence  to  His  claim.  "  Show  us  a  sign  from  heaven," 
said  they ;  meaning  thereby,  something  like  the  manna 
brought  down  from  heaven  by  Moses,  or  the  fire  called 
down  by  Elijah,  or  the  thunder  and  rain  called  down  by 
Samuel ; '  it  being  assumed  that  such  signs  could  be  wrought 
only  by  the  power  of  God,  whilst  the  signs  on  earth,  such  as 
Jesus  supplied  in  His  miracles  of  healing,  might  be  wrought 
by  the  power  of  the  devil !  ^  It  was  a  demand  of  a  sort  often 
addressed  to  Jesus  in  good  faith  or  in  bad  ;  ^  for  the  Jews 
sought  after  such  signs  —  miracles  of  a  singular  and  startling 
character,  fitted  to  gratify  a  superstitious  curiosity,  and 
astonish  a  wonder-loving  mind  —  miracles  that  were  merely 
signs,  serving  no  other  purpose  than  to  display  divine 
power;  like  the  rod  of  Moses,  converted  into  a  serpent,  and 
reconverted  into  its  original  form. 

These  demands  of  the  sign-seekers  Jesus  uniformly  met 
with  a  direct  refusal.  He  would  not  condescend  to  work 
miracles  of  any  description  merely  as  certificates  of  His  own 
Messiahship,  or  to  furnish  food  for  a  superstitious  appetite, 
or  materials  of  amusement  to  sceptics.  He  knew  that  such 
as  remained  unbelievers  in  presence  of  His  ordinary  miracles, 
which  were  not  naked  signs,  but  also  works  of  beneficence, 
could  not  be  brought  to  faith  by  any  means ;  nay,  that  the 
more  evidence  they  got,  the  more  hardened  they  should 
become  in  unbelief.  He  regarded  the  very  demand  for  these 
signs  as  the  indication  of  a  fixed  determination  on  the  part 
of  those  who  made  it  not  to  believe  in  Him,  even  if,  in  order 
to  rid  themselves  of  the  disagreeable  obligation,  it  should  be 
necessary  to  put  Him  to  death.  Therefore,  in  refusing  the 
signs  sought  after,  He  was  wont  to  accompany  the  refusal 
with  a  word  of  rebuke  or  of  sad  foreboding  ;  as  when  He 
said,  at  a  very  early  period  of  His  ministry,  on  His  first  visit 

'  See  Alford.  Stier  refers  to  the  apocryphal  books  to  explain  the  nature  of  the  signs 
'lemanded. 

^  Matt.  xii.  24  et  par. 

3  John  ii.  18,  vi.  30  ;  Matt.  xii.  38. 


The  Leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees.      157 

to  Jerusalem,  after  His  baptism  :  "  Destroy  this  temple,  and 
in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up."  ' 

On  the  present  occasion  the  soul  of  Jesus  was  much  per- 
turbed by  the  renewed  demands  of  the  sign-seekers.  "  He 
sighed  deeply  in  His  spirit,"  knowing  full  well  what  these 
demands  meant,  with  respect  both  to  those  who  made  them 
and  to  Himself ;  and  He  addressed  the  parties  who  came 
tempting  Him  in  excessively  severe  and  bitter  terms, — ' 
reproaching  them  with  spiritual  blindness,  calling  them  a 
wicked  and  adulterous  generation,  and  ironically  referring 
them  now,  as  He  had  once  done  before,^  to  the  sign  of 
the  prophet  Jonas.  He  told  them,  that  while  they  knew  the 
weather  signs,  and  understood  what  a  red  sky  in  the  morn- 
ing or  evening  meant,  they  were  blind  to  the  manifest  signs 
of  the  times,  which  showed  at  once  that  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness had  arisen,  and  that  a  dreadful  storm  of  judgment  was 
coming  like  a  dark  night  on  apostate  Israel  for  her  iniquity. 
He  applied  to  them,  and  the  whole  generation  they  repre- 
sented, the  epithet  "wicked,"  to  characterize  their  false- 
hearted, malevolent,  and  spiteful  behavior  towards  Himself; 
and  He  employed  the  term  "adulterous,"  to  describe  them, 
in  relation  to  God,  as  guilty  of  breaking  their  marriage 
covenant,  pretending  great  love  and  zeal  with  their  lip,  but 
in  their  heart  and  life  turning  away  from  the  living  God  to 
idols  —  forms,  ceremonies,  signs.  He  gave  them  the  story 
of  Jonah  the  prophet  for  a  sign,  in  mystic  allusion  to  His 
death  ;  meaning  to  say,  that  one  of  the  most  reliable  evi- 
dences that  He  was  God's  servant  indeed,  was  just  the  fact 
that  He  was  rejected,  and  ignominiously  and  barbarously 
treated  by  such  as  those  to  whom  He  spake  :  that  there 
could  be  no  worse  sign  of  a  man  than  to  be  well  received 
by  them  —  that  he  could  be  no  true  Christ  who  was  so 
received.' 

'  John  ii.  19.  2  Matt.  xii.  40. 

^  Pfleiderer  {Die  Religion,  ii.  447)  recognizes  so  fully  the  importance  of  this  encounter 
between  Jesus  and  the  Pharisees,  that  he  fixes  on  it  as  the  historical  germ  of  the  Tempta- 
tion-history. He  looks  on  the  demand  as  made  in  earnest  by  persons  ready  to  receive 
Jesus  as  the  Christ,  if  He  gave  the  necessary  miracle-sign,  and  to  form  a  friendly  alliance 
with  Him.  Jesus,  on  the  other  hand,  he  represents  as  unwilling  to  take  the  Messiah 
sceptre  out  of  hands  sin-stained,  and  preferring  to  reach  by  another  path  His  throne. 
That  He  was  not,  however,  insensible  to  the  temptation,  Pfleiderer  thinks  was  shown  by 
the  word  of  warning  He  afterwards  uttered  about  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees. 


158  The  Trainmg  of  the  Twelve. 

Having  thus  freely  uttered  His  mind,  Jesus  left  the  sign- 
seekers  ;  and  entering  into  the  ship  in  which  He  had  just 
crossed  from  the  other  side,  departed  again  to  the  same 
eastern  shore,  anxious  to  be  rid  of  their  unwelcome  presence. 
On  arriving  at  the  land,  He  made  the  encounter  which  had 
just  taken  place  the  subject  of  instruction  to  the  twelve, 
"Take  heed,"  He  said  as  they  walked  along  the  way,  "and 
beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees."  The 
word  was  spoken  abruptly,  as  the  utterance  of  one  waking 
out  of  a  revery.  Jesus,  we  imagine,  while  His  disciples 
rowed  Him  across  the  lake,  had  been  brooding  over  what 
had  occurred,  sadly  musing  on  prevailing  unbelief,  and  the 
dark,  lowering  weather-signs,  portentous  of  evil  to  Him  and 
to  the  whole  Jewish  people.  And  now,  recollecting  the 
presence  of  the  disciples,  He  communicates  His  thoughts 
to  them  in  the  form  of  a  warning,  and  cautions  them  against 
the  deadly  influence  of  an  evil  time,  as  a  parent  might  bid 
his  child  beware  of  a  poisonous  plant  whose  garish  flowers 
attracted  its  eye. 

In  this  warning,  it  will  be  observed,  pharisaic  and  sadducaic 
tendencies  are  identified.  Jesus  speaks  not  of  two  leavens, 
but  of  one  common  to  both  sects,  as  if  they  were  two  species 
of  one  genus,  two  branches  from  one  stem.'  And  such 
indeed  they  were.  Superficially,  the  two  parties  were  very 
diverse.  The  one  was  excessively  zealous,  the  other  was 
"moderate"  in  religion;  the  one  was  strict,  the  other  easy 
in  morals  ;  the  one  was  exclusively  and  intensely  Jewish  in 
feeling,  the  other  was  open  to  the  influence  of  pagan  civili- 
zation. Each  party  had  a  leaven  peculiar  to  itself  :  that 
of  the  Pharisees  being,  as  Christ  was  wont  to  declare, 
hypocrisy ;  ^  that  of  the  Sadducees,  an  engrossing  interest 
in  merely  material  and  temporal  concerns,  assuming  in  some 
a  political  form,  as  in  the  case  of  the  partisans  of  the  Herod 
family,  called  in  the  Gospels  Herodians,  in  others  wearing 
the  guise  of  a  philosophy  which  denied  the  existence  of  spirit 
and  the  reality  of  the  future  life,  and  made  that  denial  an 
excuse  for  exclusive  devotion  to  the  interests  of  time.  But 
here,  as  elsewhere,  extremes  met.    Phariseeism,  Sadduceeism, 

'  In  this  connection,  the  omission  of  the  article  before  SoSSouKaiiov  is  significant. 
*  Luke  xii.  i. 


The  Leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadditcees.      159 

Herodianism,  though  distinguished  by  minor  differences, 
were  radically  one.  The  religionists,  the  philosophers,  the 
politicians,  were  all  members  of  one  great  party,  which  was 
inveterately  hostile  to  the  divine  kingdom.  All  alike  were 
worldly-minded  (of  the  Pharisees  it  is  expressly  remarked 
that  they  were  covetous ')  ;  all  were  opposed  to  Christ  for 
fundamentally  the  same  reason,  viz.  because  He  was  not 
of  this  world ;  all  united  fraternally  at  this  time  in  the 
attempt  to  vex  Him  by  unbelieving,  unreasonable  demands;^ 
and  they  all  had  a  hand  in  His  death  at  the  last.  It  was 
thus  made  apparent,  once  for  all,  that  a  Christian  is  not  one 
who  merely  differs  superficially  either  from  Pharisees  or 
from  Sadducees  separately,  but  one  who  differs  radically 
from  both.  A  weighty  truth,  not  yet  well  understood ;  for 
it  is  fancied  by  many  that  right  believing  and  right  living 
consist  in  going  to  the  opposite  extreme  from  any  tendency 
whose  evil  influence  is  apparent.  To  avoid  pharisaic  strict- 
ness and  superstition,  grown  odious,  men  run  into  sadducaic 
scepticism  and  license  ;  or,  frightened  by  the  excesses  of 
infidelity  and  secularity,  they  seek  salvation  in  ritualism, 
infallible  churches,  and  the  revival  of  mediaeval  monkery. 
Thus  the  two  tendencies  continue  ever  propagating  each 
other  on  the  principle  of  action  and  reaction  ;  one  generation 
or  school  going  all  lengths  in  one  direction,  and  another 
making  a  point  of  being  as  unlike  its  predecessor  or  its 
neighbor  as  possible,  and  both  being  equally  far  from  the 
truth. 

What  the  common  leaven  of  Phariseeism  and  Sadduceeism 
was,  Jesus  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  state.  He  had 
already  indicated  its  nature  with  sufficient  plainness  in  His 
severe  reply  to  the  sign-seekers.  The  radical  vice  of  both 
sects  was  just  ungodliness  :  blindness,  and  deadness  of  heart  \y 
to  the  Divine.  They  did  not  know  the  true  and  the  good 
when  they  saw  it ;  and  when  they  knew  it,  they  did  not  love 
it.  All  around  them  were  the  evidences  that  the  King  and 
the  kingdom  of  grace  were  among  them  ;  yet  here  were  they 
asking  for  arbitrary  outward  signs,  "  external  evidences  "  in 
the  worst  sense,  that  He  who  spake  as  never  man  spake, 
and  worked  wonders   of  mercy  such    as    had   never  before 

'  Luke  xvi.  14.  "  In  Mark  (viii.  15)  the  "  leaven  of  Herod"  is  mentioned. 


1 60  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

been  witnessed,  was  no  impostor,  but  a  man  wise  and  good, 
a  prophet,  and  the  Son  of  God.  Verily  the  natural  man, 
religious  or  irreligious,  is  blind  and  dead  !  What  these 
seekers  after  a  sign  needed  was  not  a  new  sign,  but  a  new 
heart  ;  not  mere  evidence,  but  a  spirit  willing  to  obey  the 
truth. 

The  spirit  of  unbelief  which  ruled  in  Jewish  society  Jesus 
described  as  a  leaven,  with  special  reference  to  its  diffusive- 
ness ;  and  most  fitly,  for  it  passes  from  sire  to  son,  from  rich 
to  poor,  from  learned  to  unlearned,  till  a  whole  generation 
has  been  vitiated  by  its  malign  influence.  Such  was  the 
state  of  things  in  Israel  as  it  came  under  His  eye.  Spiritual 
blindness  and  deadness,  with  the  outward  symptom  of  the 
inward  malady,  —  a  constant  craving  for  evidence,  —  met 
him  on  every  side.  The  common  people,  the  leaders  of 
society,  the  religious,  the  sceptics,  the  courtiers,  and  the 
rustics,  were  all  blind,  and  yet  apparently  all  most  anxious 
to  see ;  ever  renewing  the  demand,  "  What  sign  showest 
Thou,  that  we  may  see  and  believe  Thee  t  What  dost  Thou 
work } " 

Vexed  an  hour  ago  by  the  sinister  movements  of  foes, 
Jesus  next  found  new  matter  for  annoyance  in  the  stupidity 
of  friends.  The  disciples  utterly,  even  ludicrously,  misunder- 
stood the  warning  word  addressed  to  them.  In  conversation 
by  themselves,  while  their  Master  walked  apart,  they  dis- 
cussed the  question,  what  the  strange  words,  so  abruptly 
and  earnestly  spoken,  might  mean  ;  and  they  came  to  the 
sapient  conclusion  that  they  were  intended  to  caution  them 
against  buying  bread  from  parties  belonging  to  either  of  the 
offensive  sects.  It  was  an  absurd  mistake,  and  yet,  all 
things  considered,  it  was  not  so  very  unnatural  :  for,  in  the 
first  place,  as  already  remarked,  Jesus  had  introduced  the 
subject  very  abruptly  ;  and  secondly,  some  time  had  elapsed 
since  the  meeting  with  the  seekers  of  a  sign,  during  which 
no  allusion  seems  to  have  been  made  to  that  matter.  How 
were  they  to  know  that  during  all  that  time  their  Master's 
thoughts  had  been  occupied  with  what  took  place  on  the 
western  shore  of  the  lake  ?  In  any  case,  such  a  supposition 
was  not  likely  to  occur  to  their  mind  ;  for  the  demand  for  a 
sign  had,  doubtless,  not  appeared  to  them  an  event  of  much 


The  Leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees.      i6i 

consequence,  and  it  was  probably  forgotten  as  soon  as  their 
backs  were  turned  upon  the  men  who  made  it.  And  then, 
finally,  it  so  happened  that,  just  before  Jesus  began  to  speak, 
they  remembered  that  in  the  hurry  of  a  sudden  departure 
they  had  forgotten  to  provide  themselves  with  a  stock  of 
provisions  for  the  journey.  That  was  what  they  were  think- 
ing about  when  He  began  to  say,  "  Take  heed,  and  beware 
of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees."  The 
momentous  circumstance  that  they  had  with  them  but  one 
loaf  was  causing  them  so  much  concern,  that  when  they 
heard  the  caution  against  a  particular  kind  of  leaven,  they 
jumped  at  once  to  the  conclusion,  "It  is  because  we  have 
no  bread," 

Yet  the  misunderstanding  of  the  disciples,  though  simple 
and  natural  in  its  origin,  was  blameworthy.  They  could  not 
have  fallen  into  the  mistake  had  the  interest  they  took  in 
spiritual  and  temporal  things  respectively  been  proportional 
to  their  relative  importance.  They  had  treated  the  incident 
on  the  other  side  of  the  lake  too  lightly,  and  they  had 
treated  their  neglect  to  provide  bread  too  gravely.  They 
should  have  taken  more  to  heart  the  ominous  demand  for  a 
sign,  and  the  solemn  words  spoken  by  their  Master  in 
reference  thereto  ;  and  they  should  not  have  been  troubled 
about  the  want  of  loaves  in  the  company  of  Him  who  had 
twice  miraculously  fed  the  hungry  multitude  in  the  desert. 
Their  thoughtlessness  in  one  direction,  and  their  over- 
thoughtfulness  in  another,  showed  that  food  and  raiment 
occupied  a  larger  place  in  their  minds  than  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  its  interests.  Had  they  possessed  more  faith  and 
more  spirituality,  they  would  not  have  exposed  themselves 
to  the  reproachful  question  of  their  Master:  "How  is  it 
that  ye  do  not  understand  that  I  spake  it  not  to  you  con- 
cerning bread,  that  ye  should  beware  of  the  leaven  of  the 
Pharisees  and  Sadducees  .'*  "  ' 

And  yet,  Jesus  can  hardly  have  expected  these  crude 
disciples  to  appreciate  as  He  did  the  significance  of  what 
had  occurred  on  the  other  side  of  the  lake.  It  needed  no 
common  insight  to  discern  the  import  of  that  demand  for  a 
sign  ;   and  the  faculty  of   reading  the   signs    of   the   times 

•  Matt.  xvi.  II. 


1 62  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

possessed  by  the  disciples,  as  we  shall  soon  see,  and  as  all 
we  have  learned  concerning  them  already  might  lead  us  to 
expect,  was  very  small  indeed.  One  of  the  principal  lessons 
to  be  learned  from  the  subject  of  this  chapter,  indeed,  is  just 
this :  how  different  were  the  thoughts  of  Christ  in  reference 
to  the  future  from  the  thoughts  of  His  companions.  We 
shall  often  have  occasion  to  remark  on  this  hereafter,  as  we 
advance  towards  the  final  crisis.  At  this  point  we  are 
called  to  signalize  the  fact  prominently  for  the  first  time. 


CHAPTER   XI, 
Peter's  confession  ;  or,  current  opinion   and  eternal 

TRUTH. 
Matt.  xvi.  13-20;  Mark  viii.  27-30;  Luke  ix.  18-21. 

From  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake  Jesus  directed  His 
course  northwards  along  the  banks  of  the  Upper  Jordan, 
passing  Bethsaida  Julias,  where,  as  Mark  informs  us,  He 
restored  eyesight  to  a  blind  man.  Pursuing  His  journey, 
He  arrived  at  length  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  town  of  some 
importance,  beautifully  situated  near  the  springs  of  the 
Jordan,  at  the  southern  base  of  Mount  Hermon.  This  was 
Caesarea  Philippi,  formerly  called  Paneas,  from  the  heathen 
god  Pan,  who  was  worshipped  by  the  Syrian  Greeks  in  the 
limestone  cavern  near  by,  in  which  Jordan's  fountains  bubble 
forth  to  light.  Its  present  name  was  given  to  it  by  Philip, 
tetrarch  of  Trachonitis,  in  honor  of  Caesar  Augustus  ;  his 
own  name  being  appended  (Caesarea  Philippi,  or  Philip's 
Caesarea)  to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  town  of  the  same 
name  on  the  Mediterranean  coast.  The  town  so  named 
could  boast  of  a  temple  of  white  marble,  built  by  Herod  the 
Great  to  the  first  Roman  Emperor,  besides  villas  and  palaces, 
built  by  Philip,  Herod's  son,  in  whose  territories  it  lay,  and 
who,  as  we  have  just  stated,  gave  it  its  new  name. 

Away  in  that  remote  secluded  region,  Jesus  occupied 
Himself  for  a  season  in  secret  prayer,  and  in  confidential 
conversations  with  His  disciples  on  topics  of  deepest  interest. 
One  of  these  conversations  had  reference  to  His  own  Person. 
He  introduced  the  subject  by  asking  the  twelve  the  ques- 
tion, "  Whom  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am  .-* " 
This  question  He  asked,  not  as  one  needing  to  be  informed, 
still  less  from  any  morbid  sensitiveness,  such  as  vain  men 
feel  respecting  the  opinions  entertained  of   them    by  their 

163 


1 64  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

fellow-creatures.  He  desired  of  His  disciples  a  recital  of 
current  opinions,  merely  by  way  of  preface  to  a  profession 
of  their  own  faith  in  the  eternal  truth  concerning  Himself. 
He  deemed  it  good  to  draw  forth  from  them  such  a  profes- 
sion at  this  time,  because  He  was  about  to  make  communi- 
cations to  them  on  another  subject,  viz.  His  sufferings, 
which  He  knew  would  sorely  try  their  faith.  He  wished 
them  to  be  fairly  committed  to  the  doctrine  of  His  Messiah- 
ship  before  proceeding  to  speak  in  plain  terms  on  the 
unwelcome  theme  of  His  death. 

From  the  reply  of  the  disciples,  it  appears  that  their 
Master  had  been  the  subject  of  much  talk  among  the  people. 
This  is  only  what  we  should  have  expected.  Jesus  was  a 
very  public  and  a  very  extraordinary  person,  and  to  be  much 
talked  about  is  one  of  the  inevitable  penalties  of  prominence. 
The  merits  and  the  claims  of  the  Son  of  man  were  accord- 
ingly freely  and  widely  canvassed  in  those  days,  with  gravity 
or  with  levity,  with  prejudice  or  with  candor,  with  decision 
or  indecision,  intelligently  or  ignorantly,  as  is  the  way  of 
men  in  all  ages.  As  they  mingled  with  the  people,  it  was 
the  lot  of  the  twelve  to  hear  many  opinions  concerning 
their  Lord  which  never  reached  His  ear  ;  sometimes  kind 
and  favorable,  making  them  glad ;  at  other  times  unkind  and 
unfavorable,  making  them  sad. 

The  opinions  prevalent  among  the  masses  concerning 
Jesus  —  for  it  was  with  reference  to  these  that  He  interro- 
gated His  disciples'  —  seem  to  have  been  mainly  favorable. 
All  agreed  in  regarding  Him  as  a  prophet  of  the  highest 
rank,  differing  only  as  to  which  of  the  great  prophets  of 
Israel  He  most  nearly  resembled  or  personated.  Some  said 
He  was  John  the  Baptist  revived,  others  Elias,  while  others 
again  identified  Him  with  one  or  other  of  the  great  prophets, 
as  Jeremiah.  These  opinions  are  explained  in  part  by  an 
expectation  then  commonly  entertained,  that  the  advent  of 
the  Messiah  would  be  preceded  by  the  return  of  one  of  the 
prophets  by  whom  God  had  spoken  to  the  fathers,  partly 
by  the  perception  of  real  or  supposed  resemblances  between 
Jesus  and  this  or  that  prophet ;  His  tenderness  reminding 
one  hearer  of  the  author  of  the  Lamentations,  His  sternness 

'  Luke  ix.  18,  oi  oxAot. 


Peter's   Confession.  165 

in  denouncing  hypocrisy  and  tyranny  reminding  another  of 
the  prophet  of  fire,  while  perhaps  His  parabolic  discourses 
led  a  third  to  think  of  Ezekiel  or  of  Daniel. 

When  we  reflect  on  the  high  veneration  in  which  the 
ancient  prophets  were  held,  we  cannot  fail  to  see  that  these 
diverse  opinions  current  among  the  Jewish  people  concerning 
Jesus  imply  a  very  high  sense  of  His  greatness  and 
excellence.  To  us,  who  regard  Him  as  the  Sun,  while  the 
prophets  were  at  best  but  lamps  of  greater  or  less  bright- 
ness, such  comparisons  may  well  seem  not  only  inadequate, 
but  dishonoring.  Yet  we  must  not  despise  them,  as  the 
testimonies  of  open-minded  but  imperfectly-formed  contem- 
poraries to  the  worth  of  Him  whom  we  worship  as  the  Lord. 
Taken  separately,  they  show  that  in  the  judgment  of 
candid  observers  Jesus  was  a  man  of  surpassing  greatness ; 
taken  together,  they  show  the  many-sidedness  of  His 
character,  and  its  superiority  to  that  of  any  one  of  the 
prophets  ;  for  He  could  not  have  reminded  those  who  wit- 
nessed His  works,  and  heard  Him  preach,  of  all  the  prophets 
in  turn,  unless  He  had  comprehended  them  all  in  His  one 
person.  The  very  diversity  of  opinion  respecting  Him, 
therefore,  showed  that  a  greater  than  Elias,  or  Jeremiah,  or 
Ezekiel,  or  Daniel,  had  appeared. 

These  opinions,  valuable  still  as  testimonials  to  the  excel- 
lence of  Christ,  must  be  admitted  further  to  be  indicative, 
so  far,  of  good  dispositions  on  the  part  of  those  who 
cherished  and  expressed  them.  At  a  time  when  those 
who  deemed  themselves  in  every  respect  immeasurably 
superior  to  the  multitude  could  find  no  better  names  for  the 
Son  of  man  than  Samaritan,  devil,  blasphemer,  glutton  and 
drunkard,  companion  of  publicans  and  sinners,  it  was  some- 
thing considerable  to  believe  that  the  calumniated  One  was 
a  prophet  as  worthy  of  honor  as  any  of  those  whose 
sepulchres  the  professors  of  piety  carefully  varnished,  while 
depreciating,  and  even  putting  to  death,  'their  living  success- 
ors. The  multitude  who  held  this  opinion  might  come  short 
of  true  discipleship ;  but  they  were  at  least  far  in  advance  of 
the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  who  came  in  tempting  mood 
to  ask  a  sign  from  heaven,  and  whom  no  sign,  whether  in 
heaven  ux  in  earth,  would  conciliate  or  convince. 


1 66  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

How,  then,  did  Jesus  receive  the  report  of  His  disciples  ? 
Was  He  satisfied  with  these  favorable,  and  in  the  circum- 
stances really  gratifying,  opinions  current  among  the  people  ? 
He  was  not.  He  was  not  content  to  be  put  on  a  level  with 
even  the  greatest  of  the  prophets.  He  did  not  indeed 
express  any  displeasure  against  those  who  assigned  Him 
such  a  rank,  and  He  may  even  have  been  pleased  to  hear 
that  public  opinion  had  advanced  so  far  on  the  way  to  the 
true  faith.  Nevertheless  He  declined  to  accept  the  position 
accorded.  The  meek  and  lowly  Son  of  man  claimed  to  be 
something  more  than  a  great  prophet.  Therefore  He  turned 
to  His  chosen  disciples,  as  to  men  from  whom  He  expected 
a  more  satisfactory  statement  of  the  truth,  and  pointedly 
asked  what  they  thought  of  Him.  "But  you — whom  say 
ye  that  I  am  }  " 

In  this  case,  as  in  many  others,  Simon  son  of  Jonas 
answered  for  the  company.  His  prompt,  definite,  memora- 
ble reply  to  his  Master's  question  was  this  :  "  Thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  ' 

With  this  view  of  His  person  Jesus  was  satisfied.  He 
did  not  charge  Peter  with  extravagance  in  going  so  far 
beyond  the  opinion  of  the  populace.  On  the  contrary,  He 
entirely  approved  of  what  the  ardent  disciple  had  said,  and 
expressed  His  satisfaction  in  no  cold  or  measured  terms. 
Never,  perhaps,  did  He  speak  in  more  animated  language, 
or  with  greater  appearance  of  deep  emotion.  He  solemnly 
pronounced  Peter  "blessed"  on  account  of  His  faith;  He 
spake  for  the  first  time  of  a  church  which  should  be  founded, 
professing  Peter's  faith  as  its  creed  ;  He  promised  that 
disciple  great  power  in  that  church,  as  if  grateful  to  him 
for  being  the  first  to  put  the  momentous  truth  into  words, 
and  for  uttering  it  so  boldly  amid  prevailing  unbelief,  and 
crude,  defective  belief ;  and  He  expressed,  in  the  strongest 
possible  terms.  His  confidence  that  the  church  yet  to  be 
founded  would  stand  to  all  ages  proof  against  all  the  assaults 
of  the  powers  of  darkness. 

'  So  in  Matthew  ;  in  the  other  Gospels  the  reply  is  abbreviated,  and  the  confession 
of  Messiahship  alone  mentioned.  Matthew's  account  of  this  memorable  incident  is 
throughout  the  fullest,  a  fact  of  importance  when  it  is  considered  that  Matthew's, 
according  even  to  Dr.  Baur,  is  the  oldest  and  most  historical  Gospel. 


Peter's   Confession.  167 

Simon's  confession,  fairly  interpreted,  seems  to  contain 
these  two  propositions,  —  that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah,  and 
that  He  was  divine.  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,"  said  he  in  the 
first  place,  with  conscious  reference  to  the  reported  opinions 
of  the  people,  —  "Thou  art  the  Christ,"  and  not  merely  a 
prophet  come  to  prepare  Christ's  way.  Then  he  added : 
"the  Son  of  God,"  to  explain  what  he  understood  by  the 
term  Christ.  The  Messiah  looked  for  by  the  Jews  in  general 
was  merely  a  man,  though  a  very  superior  one,  the  ideal 
man  endowed  with  extraordinary  gifts.  The  Christ  of  Peter's 
creed  was  more  than  man  —  a  superhuman,  a  divine  being. 
This  truth  he  sought  to  express  in  the  second  part  of  his 
confession.  He  called  Jesus  Son  of  God,  with  obvious 
reference  to  the  name  His  Master  had  just  given  Himself  — 
Son  of  man.  "Thou,"  he  meant  to  say,  "art  not  only  what 
Thou  hast  now  called  Thyself,  and  what,  in  lowliness  of 
mind,  Thou  art  wont  to  call  Thyself  —  the  Son  of  man;' 
Thou  art  also  Son  of  God,  partaking  of  the  divine  nature 
not  less  really  than  of  the  human."  finally,  he  prefixed 
the  epithet  "living"  to  the  divine  name,  to  express  his 
consciousness  that  he  was  making  a  very  momentous  decla- 
ration, and  to  give  that  declaration  a  solemn,  deliberate 
character.  It  was  as  if  he  said :  "  I  know  it  is  no  light 
matter  to  call  any  one,  even  Thee,  Son  of  God,  of  the  One 
living  eternal  Jehovah.  But  I  shrink  not  from  the  assertion, 
however  bold,  startling,  or  even  blasphemous  it  may  seem. 
I  cannot  by  any  other  expression  do  justice  to  all  I  know 
and  feel  concerning  Thee,  or  convey  the  impression  left  on 
my  mind  by  what  I  have  witnessed  during  the  time  I  have 
followed  Thee  as  a  disciple."  In  this  way  was  the  disciple 
urged  on,  in  spite  of  his  Jewish  monotheism,  to  the 
recognition  of  his  Lord's  divinity.^ 

That  the  famous  confession,  uttered  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Cassarea  Philippi,  really  contains  in  germ  ^  the  doctrine  of 
Christ's  divinity,  might  be  inferred  from  the  simple  fact  that 

'  For  a  fuller  exposition  of  the  view  we  take  of  this  title,  which  has  occasioned  so 
much  discussion,  we  may  refer  our  readers  to  The  Humiliation  of  Christ,  note,  p.  225 
{Ciinniiighani  Lecttcres,  sixth  series,  2d  ed.). 

^  On  this  topic  consult  Wace,  Christianity  and  Morality,  the  Boyle  Lectures  for 
1874-75,  Lecture  V.,  second  course. 

^  Of  course  all  that  was  implied  was  not  yet  present  to  Peter's  mind. 


1 68  The  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

Jesus  was  satisfied  with  it ;  for  He  certainly  claimed  to  be 
Son  of  God  in  a  sense  predicable  of  no  mere  man,  even 
according  to  synoptical  accounts  of  His  teaching.'  But 
when  we  consider  the  peculiar  terms  in  which  He  expressed 
Himself  respecting  Peter's  faith,  we  are  still  further  confirmed 
in  this  conclusion.  "  Flesh  and  blood,"  said  He  to  the 
disciple,  "hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  These  words  evidently  imply  that  the 
person  addressed  had  said  something  very  extraordinary ; 
something  he  could  not  have  learned  from  the  traditional 
established  belief  of  his  generation  respecting  Messiah ; 
something  new  even  for  himself  and  his  fellow-disciples, 
if  not  in  word,  at  least  in  meaning,^  to  which  he  could  not 
have  attained  by  the  unaided  effort  of  his  own  mind.  The 
confession  is  virtually  represented  as  an  inspiration,  a  revela- 
tion, a  flash  of  light  from  heaven, — the  utterance  not  of  the 
rude  fisherman,  but  of  the  divine  Spirit  speaking,  through 
his  mouth,  a  truth  hitherto  hidden,  and  yet  but  dimly 
comprehended  by  him  to  whom  it  hath  been  revealed.  All 
this  agrees  well  with  the  supposition  that  the  confession 
contains  not  merely  an  acknowledgment  of  the  Messiahship 
of  Jesus  in  the  ordinary  sense,  but  a  proclamation  of  the 
true  doctrine  concerning  Messiah's  person  —  viz.  that  He 
was  a  divine  being  manifest  in  the  flesh. 

The  remaining  portion  of  our  Lord's  address  to  Simon 
shows  that  He  assigned  to  the  doctrine  confessed  by  that 
disciple  the  place  of  fundamental  importance  in  the  Christian 
faith  The  object  of  these  remarkable  statements  ^  is  not  to 
assert  the  supremacy  of  Peter,  as  Romanists  contend,  but  to 
declare  the  supremely  important  nature  of  the  truth  he  has 
confessed.  In  spite  of  all  difficulties  of  interpretation,  this 
remains  clear  and  certain  to  us.  Who  or  what  the  "  rock  " 
is  we  deem  doubtful  ;  it  may  be  Peter,  or  it  may  be  his  con- 
fession :  it  is  a  point  on  which  scholars  equally  sound  in  the 
faith,  and  equally  innocent  of  all  sympathy  with  Popish 
dogmas,  are  divided  in  opinion,  and  on  which  it  would  ill 
become  us  to  dogmatize.     Of  this  only  we  are  sure,  that  not 

'  E.g.  in  Matthew  xi.  27,  though  we  cannot  go  into  the  discussion  here. 

^  The  words,  with  exception  of  the  epithet  "  living,"  are  found  in  John  i.  49. 

3  Matt.  xvi.  18,  19. 


Peter's   Confession.  169 

Peter's  person,  but  Peter's  faith,  is  the  fundamental  matter 
in  Christ's  mind.  When  He  says  to  that  disciple,  "  Thou 
art  Petros,"  He  means,  "Thou  art  a  man  of  rock,  worthy  of 
the  name  I  gave  thee  by  anticipation  the  first  time  I  met 
thee,  because  thou  hast  at  length  got  thy  foot  planted  on  the 
rock  of  the  eternal  truth."  He  speaks  of  the  church  that 
is  to  be,  for  the  first  time,  in  connection  with  Simon's 
confession,  because  that  church  is  to  consist  of  men 
adopting  that  confession  as  their  own,  and  acknowledging 
Him  to  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God.'  He  alludes  to  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  the  same  connection, 
because  none  but  those  who  homologate  the  doctrine  first 
solemnly  enunciated  by  Simon,  shall  be  admitted  within 
its  gates.  He  promises  Peter  the  power  of  the  keys,  not 
because  it  is  to  belong  to  him  alone,  or  to  him  more  than 
others,  but  by  way  of  honorable  mention,  in  recompense  for 
the  joy  he  has  given  his  Lord  by  the  superior  energy  and 
decision  of  his  faith.  He  is  grateful  to  Peter,  because 
he  has  believed  most  emphatically  that  He  came  out  from 
God  ;  ^  and  He  shows  His  gratitude  by  promising  first  to 
him  individually  a  power  which  He  afterwards  conferred  on 
all  His  chosen  disciples.'  Finally,  if  it  be  true  that  Peter  is 
here  called  the  rock  on  which  the  church  shall  be  built,  this 
is  to  be  understood  in  the  same  way  as  the  promise  of  the 
keys.  Peter  is  called  the  foundation  of  the  church  only  in 
the  same  sense  as  all  the  apostles  are  called  the  foundation 
by  the  Apostle  Paul,"*  viz.  as  the  first  preachers  of  the  true 
faith  concerning  Jesus  as  the  Christ  and  Son  of  God  ;  and  if 
the  man  ^ho  first  professed  that  faith  be  honored  by  being 
called  individually  the  rock,  that  only  shows  that  the  faith, 
and  not  the  man,  is  after  all  the  true  foundation.  That 
which  makes  Simon  a  Petros,  a  rock-like  man,  fit  to  build 
on,  is  the  real  Petra  on  which  the  Ecclesia  is  to  be  built. 

After  these  remarks  we  deem  it  superfluous  to  enter 
minutely  into  the  question  to  what  the  term  "rock"  refers 
in  the  sentence,  "Thou  art  Peter,  and  on  this  rock  I  will 
build  my  church."     At  the  same  time,  we  must  say  that  it 

'  This  was  the  usual  formula  by  which  converts  confessed  their  faith  in  the  apostolic 
age. 

*  John  xvi.  27.  3  Matt,  xviii.  i8 ;  John  xx.  23.  ♦  Eph.  ii.  20. 


1 70  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

is  by  no  means  so  clear  to  us  that  the  rock  must  be  Peter, 
and  can  be  nothing  else,  as  it  is  the  fashion  of  modern 
commentators  to  assert.  To  the  rendering,  "  Thou  art 
Petros,  a  man  of  rock ;  and  on  thee,  as  on  a  rock,  I  will  build 
my  church,"  it  is  possible,  as  already  admitted,  to  assign 
an  intelligible  scriptural  meaning.  But  we  confess  our 
preference  for  the  old  Protestant  interpretation,  according 
to  which  our  Lord's  words  to  His  disciple  should  be  thus 
paraphrased:  "Thou,  Simon  Barjonas,  art  Petros,  a  man 
of  rock,  worthy  of  thy  name  Peter,  because  thou  hast  made 
that  bold,  good  confession  ;  and  on  the  truth  thou  hast  now 
confessed,  as  on  a  rock,  will  I  build  my  church  ;  and  so  long 
as  it  abides  on  that  foundation  it  will  stand  firm  and 
unassailable  against  all  the  powers  of  hell."  So  rendering, 
we  make  Jesus  say  not  only  what  He  really  thought,  but 
what  was  most  worthy  to  be  said.  For  divine  truth  is  the 
sure  foundation.  Believers,  even  Peters,  may  fail,  and  prove 
any  thing  but  stable  ;  but  truth  is  eternal,  and  faileth  never. 
This  we  say  not  unmindful  of  the  counterpart  truth,  that 
"  the  truth,"  unless  confessed  by  living  souls,  is  dead,  and 
no  source  of  stability.  Sincere  personal  conviction,  with 
a  life  corresponding,  is  needed  to  make  the  faith  in  the 
objective  sense  of  any  virtue. 

We  cannot  pass  from  these  memorable  words  of  Christ 
without  adverting,  with  a  certain  solemn  awe,  to  the  strange 
fate  which  has  befallen  them  in  the  history  of  the  church.  This 
text,  in  which  the  church's  Lord  declares  that  the  powers  of 
darkness  shall  not  prevail  against  her,  has  been  used  by  these 
powers  as  an  instrument  of  assault,  and  with  only  too  much 
success.  What  a  gigantic  system  of  spiritual  despotism 
and  blasphemous  assumption  has  been  built  on  these  two 
sentences  concerning  the  rock  and  the  keys  !  How  nearly, 
by  their  aid,  has  the  kingdom  of  God  been  turned  into  a 
kingdom  of  Satan !  One  is  tempted  to  wish  that  Jesus, 
knowing  beforehand  what  was  to  happen,  had  so  framed  His 
words  as  to  obviate  the  mischief.  But  the  wi.sh  were  vain. 
No  forms  of  expression,  however  carefully  selected,  could 
prevent  human  ignorance  from  falling  into  misconception, 
or  hinder  men  who  had  a  purpose  to  serve,  from  finding  in 
Scripture  what  suited  that  purpose.     Nor  can  any  Christian, 


Peter's   Confession.  171 

on  reflection,  think  it  desirable  that  the  Author  of  our  faith 
had  adopted  a  studied  prudential  style  of  speech,  intended 
not  so  much  to  give  faithful  expression  to  the  actual  thoughts 
of  His  mind  and  feelings  of  His  heart,  as  to  avoid  giving 
occasion  of  stumbling  to  honest  stupidity,  or  an  excuse  for 
perversion  to  dishonest  knavery.  The  spoken  word  in  that 
case  had  been  no  longer  a  true  reflection  of  the  Word 
incarnate.  All  the  poetry  and  passion  and  genuine  human 
feeling  which  form  the  charm  of  Christ's  sayings  would  have 
been  lost,  and  nothing  would  have  remained  but  prosaic 
platitudes,  like  those  of  the  scribes  and  of  theological  pedants. 
No ;  let  us  have  the  precious  words  of  our  Master  in  all 
their  characteristic  intensity  and  vehemence  of  unqualified 
assertion ;  and  if  prosaic  or  disingenuous  men  will  manufacture 
out  of  them  incredible  dogmas,  let  them  answer  for  it.  Why 
should  the  children  be  deprived  of  their  bread,  and  only  the 
dogs  be  cared  for } 

One  remark  more  ere  we  pass  from  the  subject  of  this 
chapter.  The  part  we  find  Peter  playing  in  this  incident  at 
Caesarea  Philippi  prepares  us  for  regarding  as  historically 
credible  the  part  assigned  to  him  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
in  some  momentous  scenes,  as,  e.g.,  in  that  brought  before 
us  in  the  tenth  chapter.  The  Tubingen  school  of  critics  tell 
us  that  the  Acts  is  a  composition  full  of  invented  situations 
adapted  to  an  apologetic  design  ;  and  that  the  plan  on  which 
the  book  proceeds  is  to  make  Peter  act  as  like  Paul  as  possible 
in  the  first  part,  and  Paul,  on  the  other  hand,  as  much  like 
Peter  as  possible  in  the  second.  The  conversion  of  the 
Roman  centurion  by  Peter's  agency  they  regard  as  a  capital 
instance  of  Peter  being  made  to  pose  as  Paul,  i.e.,  as  an 
universalist  in  his  views  of  Christianity.  Now,  all  we  have 
to  say  on  the  subject  here  is  this.  The  conduct  ascribed  to 
Peter  the  apostle  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  the  Acts  is  credible 
in  the  light  of  the  narrative  we  have  been  studying.  In  both 
we  find  the  same  man  the  recipient  of  a  revelation  ;  in 
both  we  find  him  the  first  to  receive,  utter,  and  act  on  a  great 
Christian  truth.  Is  it  incredible  that  the  man  who  received 
one  revelation  as  a  disciple  should  receive  another  as  an 
apostle  }  Is  it  not  psychologically  probable  that  the  man  who 
now  appears  so  original  and  audacious  in  connection  with  one 


172  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

great  truth,  will  again  show  the  same  attributes  of  originality 
and  audacity  in  connection  with  some  other  truth  ?  For  our 
part,  far  from  feeling  sceptical  as  to  the  historic  truth  of 
the  narrative  in  the  Acts,  we  should  have  been  very  much 
surprised  if  in  the  history  of  the  nascent  church  Peter  had 
been  found  playing  a  part  altogether  devoid  of  originalities 
and  audacities.  He  would  in  that  case  have  been  very  unlike 
his  former  self. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FIRST  LESSON  ON  THE  CROSS. 

Section  I.  —  First  Announcement  of  Christ's  Death. 

Matt.  xvi.  21-28;  Mark  viii.  31-38;  Luke  ix.  22-27. 

Not  till  an  advanced  period  in  His  public  ministry  —  not, 
in  fact,  till  it  was  drawing  to  a  close  —  did  Jesus  speak  in 
plain,  unmistakable  terms  of  His  death.  The  solemn  event 
was  foreknown  by  Him  from  the  first ;  and  He  betrayed 
His  consciousness  of  what  was  awaiting  Him  by  a  variety 
of  occasional  allusions.  These  earlier  utterances,  however, 
were  all  couched  in  mystic  language.  They  were  of  the 
nature  of  riddles,  whose  meaning  became  clear  after  the 
event,  but  which  before,  none  could,  or  at  least  did,  read. 
Jesus  spake  now  of  a  temple,  which,  if  destroyed,  He  should 
raise  again  in  three  days ; '  at  another  time  of  a  lifting  up 
of  the  Son  of  man,  like  unto  that  of  the  brazen  serpent 
in  the  wilderness;^  and  on  yet  other  occasions,  of  a  sad 
separation  of  the  bridegroom  from  the  children  of  the 
bridechamber,3  of  the  giving  of  His  flesh  for  the  life  of 
the  world,'^  and  of  a  sign  like  that  of  the  prophet  Jonas, 
which  should  be  given  in  His  own  person  to  an  evil  and 
adulterous  generation. s 

At  length,  after  the  conversation  in  Caesarea  Philippi, 
Jesus  changed  His  style  of  speaking  on  the  subject  of  His 
sufferings,  substituting  for  dark,  hidden  allusions,  plain, 
literal,  matter  -  of  -  fact  statements.^  This  change  was 
naturally  adapted  to  the  altered  circumstances  in  which 
He   was   placed.     The   signs   of   the   times   were   growing 

'  John  ii.  19.  *  John  vi. 

*  John  iii.  14.  '  Matt.  xvi.  4. 
'  Matt.  ix.  15. 

*  "  He  spake  that  saying  openly  "  (n-appi|<rio),  Mark  viii.  32. 


1 74  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

ominous  ;  storm-clouds  were  gathering  in  the  air  ;  all  things 
were  beginning  to  point  towards  Calvary.  His  work  in 
Galilee  and  the  provinces  was  nearly  done  ;  it  remained  for 
Him  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth  in  and  around  the  holy 
city ;  and  from  the  present  mood  of  the  ecclesiastical 
authorities  and  the  leaders  of  religious  society,  as  manifested 
by  captious  question  and  unreasonable  demand,'  and  a 
constant  espionage  on  His  movements,  it  was  not  difficult 
to  foresee  that  it  would  not  require  many  more  offences,  or 
much  longer  time,  to  ripen  dislike  and  jealousy  into  murder- 
ous hatred.  Such  plain  speaking,  therefore,  concerning  what 
was  soon  to  happen,  was  natural  and  seasonable.  Jesus  was 
now  entering  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  and  in  so 
speaking  He  was  but  adapting  His  talk  to  the  situation. 

Plain-speaking  regarding  His  death  was  now  not  only 
natural  on  Christ's  part,  but  at  once  necessary  and  safe  in 
reference  to  His  disciples.  It  was  necessary,  in  order  that 
they  might  be  prepared  for  the  approaching  event,  as  far 
as  that  was  possible  in  the  case  of  men  who,  to  the  last, 
persisted  in  hoping  that  the  issue  would  be  different  from 
what  their  Master  anticipated.  It  was  safe  ;  for  now  the 
subject  might  be  spoken  of  plainly  without  serious  risk  to 
their  faith.  Before  the  disciples  were  established  in  the 
doctrine  of  Christ's  person,  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  might 
have  scared  them  away  altogether.  Premature  preaching 
of  a  Christ  to  be  crucified  might  have  made  them  unbelievers 
in  the  fnudamental  truth  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the 
Christ.  Therefore,  in  consideration  of  their  weakness, 
Jesus  maintained  a  certain  reserve  respecting  His  sufferings, 
till  their  faith  in  Him  as  the  Christ  should  have  become 
sufficiently  rooted  to  stand  the  strain  of  the  storm  soon  to 
be  raised  by  a  most  unexpected,  unwelcome,  and  incom- 
prehensible announcement.  Only  after  hearing  Peter's 
confession  was  He  satisfied  that  the  strength  necessary  for 
enduring  the  trial  had  been  attained. 

Wherefore,  "from  that  time  forth  began  Jesus  to  show 
unto  His  disciples  how  that  He  must  go  unto  Jerusalem, 
and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and 
scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be  raised  again  the  third  day," 

'  Matt.  XV.  I  sqq.,  xvi.  i  sqq. 


First  Lesson  on  the   Cross.  175 

Every  clause  in  this  solemn  announcement  demands  our 
reverent  scrutiny. 

Jesus  showed  unto  His  disciples  — 

1.  "That  He  must  go  unto  Jerusalem."  Yes!  there  the 
tragedy  must  be  enacted :  that  was  the  fitting  scene  for 
the  stupendous  events  that  were  about  to  take  place.  It  was 
dramatically  proper  that  the  Son  of  man  should  die  in  that 
"holy,"  unholy  city,  which  had  earned  a  most  unenviable 
notoriety  as  the  murderess  of  the  prophets,  the  stoner  of 
them  whom  God  sent  unto  her.  "It  cannot  be"  —  it  were 
incongruous — "that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem."' 
It  was  due  also  to  the  dignity  of  Jesus,  and  to  the  design  of 
His  death,  that  He  should  suffer  there.  Not  in  an  obscure 
corner  or  in  an  obscure  way  must  He  die,  but  in  the  most 
public  place,  and  in  a  formal,  judicial  manner.  He  must  be 
lifted  up  in  view  of  the  whole  Jewish  nation,  so  that  all 
might  see  Him  whom  they  had  pierced,  and  by  whose  stripes 
also  they  might  yet  be  healed.  The  "  Lamb  of  God  "  must 
be  slain  in  the  place  where  all  the  legal  sacrifices  were 
offered. 

2.  "And  suffer  many  things."  Too  many  to  enumerate, 
too  painful  to  speak  of  in  detail,  and  better  passed  over  in 
silence  for  the  present.  The  bare  fact  that  their  beloved 
Master  was  to  be  put  to  death,  without  any  accompanying 
indignities,  would  be  sufficiently  dreadful  to  the  disciples  ; 
and  Jesus  mercifully  drew  a  veil  over  much  that  was  present 
to  His  own  thoughts.  In  a  subsequent  conversation  on  the 
same  sad  theme,  when  His  passion  was  near  at  hand.  He 
drew  aside  the  veil  a  little,  and  showed  them  some  of  the 
"many  things."  But  even  then  He  was  very  sparing  in  His 
allusions,  hinting  only  by  a  passing  word  that  He  should  be 
mocked,  and  scourged,  and  spit  upon.^  He  took  no  delight 
in  expatiating  on  such  harrowing  scenes.  He  was  willing  to 
bear  those  indignities,  but  He  cared  not  to  speak  of  them 
more  than  was  absolutely  necessary. 

3.  "Of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and  scribes."  Not  of 
them  alone,  for  Gentile  rulers  and  the  people  of  Israel  were 
to  have  a  hand  in  evil-entreating  the  Son  of  man  as  well  as 
Jewish  ecclesiastics.     But   the   parties   named   were   to   be 

•  Luke  xiii.  33.  *  Mark  x.  34;  Luke  xviii.  32. 


1 76  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  prime  movers  and  most  guilty  agents  in  the  nefarious 
transaction.  The  men  who  ought  to  have  taught  the  people 
to  recognize  in  Jesus  the  Lord's  Anointed,  would  hound 
them  on  to  cry,  "  Crucify  Him,  crucify  Him,"  and  by  impor- 
tunities and  threats  urge  heathen  authorities  to  perpetrate 
a  crime  for  which  they  had  no  heart.  Gray-haired  elders 
sitting  in  council  would  solemnly  decide  that  He  was 
worthy  of  death  ;  high  priests  would  utter  oracles,  that  one 
man  must  die  for  the  people,  that  the  whole  nation  perish 
not ;  scribes  learned  in  the  law  would  use  their  legal 
knowledge  to  invent  plausible  grounds  for  an  accusation 
involving  capital  punishment.  Jesus  had  suffered  many  petty 
annoyances  from  such  persons  already  ;  but  the  time  was 
approaching  when  nothing  would  satisfy  them  but  getting 
the  object  of  their  dislike  cast  forth  out  of  the  world.  Alas 
for  Israel,  when  her  wise  men,  and  her  holy  men,  and  her 
learned  men,  knew  of  no  better  use  to  make  of  the  stone 
chosen  of  God,  and  precious,  than  thus  contemptuously  and 
wantonly  to  fling  it  away ! 

4.  "  And  be  killed."  Yes,  and  for  blessed  ends  pre-ordained 
of  God.  But  of  these  Jesus  speaks  not  now.  He  simply 
states,  in  general  terms,  the  fact,  in  this  first  lesson  on  the 
doctrine  of  the  cross.'  Any  thing  more  at  this  stage  had 
been  wasted  words.  To  what  purpose  speak  of  the  theology 
of  the  cross,  of  God's  great  design  in  the  death  which  was 
to  be  brought  about  by  man's  guilty  instrumentality,  to 
disciples  unwilling  to  receive  even  the  matter  of  fact .''  The 
rude  shock  of  an  unwelcome  announcement  must  first  be 
over  before  any  thing  can  be  profitably  said  on  these  higher 
themes.  Therefore  not  a  syllable  here  of  salvation  by  the 
death  of  the  Son  of  man;  of  Christ  crucified /(?r  man's  guilt 
as  well  as  by  man's  guilt.  The  hard  bare  fact  alone  is 
stated,  theology  being  reserved  for  another  season,  when 
the  hearers  should  be  in  a  fitter  frame  of  mind  for  receiving 
instruction. 

5.  Finally,  Jesus  told  His  disciples  that  He  should  "be 
raised  again  the  third  day."     To  some  so  explicit  a  reference 

'  The  cross  is  not  even  named  here ;  but  it  was  in  Christ's  thoughts,  as  the  following 
address  to  the  disciples  plainly  shows.  The  fact,  without  the  mode,  of  death  was 
enough  for  the  first  lesson. 


First  Lesson  on  the   Cross.  177 

to  the  resurrection  at  this  early  date  has  appeared  improbable.' 
To  us,  on  the  contrary,  it  appears  eminently  seasonable. 
When  was  Jesus  more  likely  to  tell  His  disciples  that  He 
would  rise  again  shortly  after  His  death,  than  just  on  the 
occasion  when  He  first  told  them  plainly  that  He  should 
die .''  He  knew  how  harsh  the  one  announcement  would  be 
to  the  feelings  of  His  faithful  ones,  and  it  was  natural  that 
He  should  add  the  other,  in  the  hope  that  when  it  was 
understood  that  His  death  was  to  be  succeeded,  after  a  brief 
interval  of  three  days,  by  resurrection,  the  news  would  be 
much  less  hard  to  bear.  Accordingly,  after  uttering  the 
dismal  words  "be  killed,"  He,  with  characteristic  tenderness, 
hastened  to  say,  "  and  be  raised  again  the  third  day  ; "  that, 
having  torn,  He  might  heal,  and  having  smitten,  He  might 
bind  up.^ 

The  grave  communications  made  by  Jesus  were  far  from 
welcome  to  His  disciples.  Neither  now  nor  at  any  subse- 
quent time  did  they  listen  to  the  forebodings  of  their  Lord 
with  resignation  even,  not  to  speak  of  cheerful  acquiescence 
or  spiritual  joy.  They  never  heard  Him  speak  of  His  death 
without  pain  ;  and  their  only  comfort,  in  connection  with 
such  announcements  as  the  present,  seems  to  have  been  the 
hope  that  He  had  taken  too  gloomy  a  view  of  the  situation, 
and  that  His  apprehensions  would  turn  out  groundless. 
They,  for  their  part,  could  see  no  grounds  for  such  dark  anti- 
cipations, and  their  Messianic  ideas  did  not  dispose  them  to 
be  on  the  outlook  for  these.  They  had  not  the  slightest 
conception  that  it  behoved  the  Christ  to  suffer.  On  the 
contrary,  a  crucified  Christ  was  a  scandal  and  a  contradiction 
to  them,  quite  as  much  as  it  continued  to  be  to  the  majority 
of  the  Jewish  people  after  the  Lord  had  ascended  to  glory. 
Hence  the  more  firmly  they  believed  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ,  the  more  confounding  it  was  to  be  told  that  He  must 

*  The  three  synoptical  evangelists  agree  in  adding  this  reference  to  the  resurrection  to 
the  first  announcement  of  Christ's  death.  Their  agreement  in  the  whole  of  this 
announcement  is  very  striking,  yet  only  what  was  to  be  expected,  considering  its 
contents. 

2  Pfleiderer  regards  the  pre-intimations  by  Jesus  of  a  supernatural  restitution  of  His 
person  as  the  Messiah  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  not  less  historical  than  any  of  the 
words  ascribed  to  Him  in  the  synoptical  Gospel.  He  only  thinks  the  definite  fixation  of 
the  interval  between  death  and  resurrection  due  to  later  redaction.  —  Die  Religion, 
ii-  433- 


1 78  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

be  put  to  death.  "  How,"  they  asked  themselves,  "  can 
these  things  be?  How  can  the  Son  of  God  be  subject 
to  such  indignities  ?  How  can  our  Master  be  the  Christ,  as 
we  firmly  believe,  come  to  set  up  the  divine  kingdom,  and  to 
be  crowned  its  King  with  glory  and  honor,  and  yet  at  the 
same  time  be  doomed  to  undergo  the  ignominious  fate  of  a 
criminal  execution  ?  "  These  questions  the  twelve  could  not 
now,  nor  until  after  the  Resurrection,  answer  ;  nor  is  this 
wonderful,  for  if  flesh  and  blood  could  not  reveal  the  doctrine 
of  Christ's  person,  still  less  could  it  reveal  the  doctrine  of 
His  cross.  Not  without  a  very  special  illumination  from 
heaven  could  they  understand  the  merest  elements  of  that 
doctrine,  and  see,  e.g.,  that  nothing  was  more  worthy  of  the 
Son  of  God  than  to  humble  Himself  and  become  subject  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross  ;  that  the  glory  of  God 
consists  not  merely  in  being  the  highest,  but  in  this,  that 
being  high,  He  stoops  in  lowly  love  to  bear  the  burden  of 
His  own  sinful  creatures  ;  that  nothing  could  more  directly 
and  certainly  conduce  to  the  establishment  of  the  divine 
kingdom  than  the  gracious  self-humiliation  of  the  King ; 
that  only  by  ascending  the  cross  could  Messiah  ascend  the 
throne  of  His  mediatorial  glory  ;  that  only  so  could  He 
subdue  human  hearts,  and  become  Lord  of  men's  affections 
as  well  as  of  their  destinies.  Many  in  the  church  do  not 
understand  these  blessed  truths,  even  at  this  late  era  :  what 
wonder,  then,  if  they  were  hid  for  a  season  from  the  eyes 
of  the  first  disciples !  Let  us  not  reproach  them  for  the 
veil  that  was  on  their  faces  ;  let  us  rather  make  sure  that 
the  same  veil  is  not  on  our  own. 

On  this  occasion,  as  at  Caesarea  Philippi,  the  twelve 
found  a  most  eloquent  and  energetic  interpreter  of  their 
sentiments  in  Simon  Peter.  The  action  and  speech  of  that 
disciple  at  this  time  were  characteristic  in  the  highest 
degree.  He  took  Jesus,  we  are  told  (laid  hold  of  Him,  we 
suppose,  by  His  hand  or  His  garment),  and  began  to  rebuke 
Him,  saying,  "  Be  it  far  from  Thee,  Lord  ;"  or  more  literally, 
"  God  be  merciful  to  Thee  :  God  forbid  !  this  shall  not  be 
unto  Thee."  What  a  strange  compound  of  good  and  evil  is 
this  man !  His  language  is  dictated  by  the  most  intense 
affection  :  he  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  any  harm  befalling 


First  Lesson  on  the   Cross.  179 

his  Lord  ;  yet  how  irreverent  and  disrespectful  he  is  towards 
Him  whom  he  has  just  acknowledged  to  be  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God !  How  he  overbears,  and  contradicts, 
and  domineers,  and,  as  it  were,  tries  to  bully  his  Master 
into  putting  away  from  His  thoughts  those  gloomy  forebod- 
ings of  coming  evil !  Verily  he  has  need  of  chastisement  to 
teach  him  his  own  place,  and  to  scourge  out  of  his  character 
the  bad  elements  of  forwardness,  and  undue  familiarity,  and 
presumptuous  self-will. 

Happily  for  Peter,  he  had  a  Master  who,  in  His  faithful 
love,  spared  not  the  rod  when  it  was  needful.  Jesus  judged 
that  it  was  needed  now,  and  therefore  He  administered  a 
rebuke  not  less  remarkable  for  severity  than  was  the 
encomium  at  Caesarea  Philippi  for  warm,  unqualified 
approbation,  and  curiously  contrasting  with  that  encomium 
in  the  terms  in  which  it  was  expressed.  He  turned  round 
on  His  offending  disciple,  and  sternly  said:  "Get  thee 
behind  me,  Satan  ;  thou  art  an  offence  unto  me  :  for  thou 
savorest  not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  those  that  be  of 
men."  The  same  disciple  who  on  the  former  occasion  had 
spoken  by  inspiration  of  Heaven  is  here  represented  as 
speaking  by  inspiration  of  mere  flesh  and  blood  —  of  mere 
natural  affection  for  his  Lord,  and  of  the  animal  instinct 
of  self-preservation,  thinking  of  self-interest  merely,  not  of 
duty.  He  whom  Christ  had  pronounced  a  man  of  rock, 
strong  in  faith,  and  fit  to  be  a  foundation-stone  in  the 
spiritual  edifice,  is  here  called  an  offence,  a  stumbling- 
stone  lying  in  his  Master's  path.  Peter,  the  noble  confessor 
of  that  fundamental  truth,  by  the  faith  of  which  the  church 
would  be  able  to  defy  the  gates  of  hell,  appears  here  in 
league  with  the  powers  of  darkness,  the  unconscious  mouth- 
piece of  Satan  the  tempter.  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  !" 
What  a  downcome  for  him  who  but  yesterday  got  that 
promise  of  the  power  of  the  keys  !  How  suddenly  has  the 
novice  church  dignitary,  too  probably  lifted  up  with  pride 
or  vanity,  fallen  into  the  condemnation  of  the  devil ! 

This  memorable  rebuke  seems  mercilessly  severe,  and 
yet  on  consideration  we  feel  it  was  nothing  more  than  what 
was  called  for.  Christ's  language  on  this  occasion  needs  no 
apology,  such  as  might  be  drawn  from  supposed  excitement 


1 80  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

of  feeling,  or  from  a  consciousness  on  the  speaker's  part 
that  the  infirmity  of  His  own  sentient  nature  was 
whispering  the  same  suggestion  as  that  which  came  from 
Peter's  Hps.  Even  the  hard  word  Satan,  which  is  the  sting 
of  the  speech,  is  in  its  proper  place.  It  describes  exactly 
the  character  of  the  advice  given  by  Simon.  That  advice 
was  substantially  this  :  "  Save  thyself  at  any  rate  ;  sacrifice 
duty  to  self-interest,  the  cause  of  God  to  personal 
convenience."  An  advice  truly  Satanic  in  principle  and 
tendency !  For  the  whole  aim  of  Satanic  policy  is  to  get 
self-interest  recognized  as  the  chief  end  of  man.  Satan's 
temptations  aim  at  nothing  worse  than  this.  Satan  is 
called  the  Prince  of  this  world,  because  self-interest  rules 
the  world  ;  he  is  called  the  accuser  of  the  brethren,  because 
he  does  not  believe  that  even  the  sons  of  God  have  any 
higher  motive.  He  is  a  sceptic  ;  and  his  scepticism  consists 
in  determined,  scornful  unbelief  in  the  reality  of  any  chief 
end  other  than  that  of  personal  advantage.  "  Doth  Job,  or 
even  Jesus,  serve  God  for  naught }  Self-sacrifice,  suffering 
for  righteousness'  sake,  fidelity  to  truth  even  unto  death  :  — 
it  is  all  romance  and  youthful  sentimentalism,  or  hypocrisy 
and  hollow  cant.  There  is  absolutely  no  such  thing  as  a 
surrender  of  the  lower  life  for  the  higher ;  all  men  are 
selfish  at  heart,  and  have  their  price  :  some  may  hold  out 
longer  than  others,  but  in  the  last  extremity  every  man 
will  prefer  his  own  things  to  the  things  of  God.  All  that  a 
man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life,  his  moral  integrity  and 
his  piety  not  excepted."     Such  is  Satan's  creed. 

The  suggestion  made  by  Peter,  as  the  unconscious  tool 
of  the  spirit  of  evil,  is  identical  in  principle  with  that  made 
by  Satan  himself  to  Jesus  in  the  temptation  in  the 
wilderness.  The  tempter  said  then  in  effect :  "  If  Thou  be 
the  Son  of  God,  use  Thy  power  for  Thine  own  behoof; 
Thou  art  hungry,  e.g.,  make  bread  for  Thyself  out  of  the 
stones.  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  presume  on  Thy 
privilege  as  the  favorite  of  Heaven  ;  cast  Thyself  down 
from  this  elevation,  securely  counting  on  protection  from 
harm,  even  where  other  men  would  be  allowed  to  suffer  the 
consequences  of  their  foolhardiness.  What  better  use  canst 
Thou  make  of  Thy  divine   powers   and   privileges   than  to 


First  Lesson  on  the   Cross. 


i«i 


promote  Thine  own  advantage  and  glory  ?  "  Peter's  feeling 
at  the  present  time  seems  to  have  been  much  the  same : 
"  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  why  shouldst  Thou  suffer 
an  ignominious,  violent  death  ?  Thou  hast  power  to  save 
Thyself  from  such  a  fate  ;  surely  Thou  wilt  not  hesitate  to 
use  it !  "  The  attached  disciple,  in  fact,  was  an  unconscious 
instrument  employed  by  Satan  to  subject  Jesus  to  a  second 
temptation,  analogous  to  the  earlier  one  in  the  desert  of 
Judaea.  It  was  the  god  of  this  world  that  was  at  work  in 
both  cases ;  who,  being  accustomed  to  find  men  only  too 
ready  to  prefer  safety  to  righteousness,  could  not  believe 
that  he  should  find  nothing  of  this  spirit  in  the  Son  of  God, 
and  therefore  came  again  and  again  seeking  an  open  point 
in  His  armor  through  which  he  might  shoot  his  fiery  darts  ; 
not  renouncing  hope  till  his  intended  victim  hung  on  the 
cross,  apparently  conquered  by  the  world,  but  in  reality  a 
conqueror  both  of  the  world  and  of  its  lord. 

The  severe  language  uttered  by  Jesus  on  this  occasion, 
when  regarded  as  addressed  to  a  dearly  beloved  disciple, 
shows  in  a  striking  manner  His  holy  abhorrence  of  every 
thing  savoring  of  self-seeking.  "  Save  Thyself,"  counsels 
Simon  :  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan,"  replies  Simon's  Lord. 
Truly  Christ  was  not  one  who  pleased  Himself.  Though 
He  were  a  Son,  yet  would  He  learn  obedience  by  the  things 
which  He  had  to  suffer.  And  by  this  mind  He  proved 
Himself  to  be  the  Son,  and  won  from  His  Father  the 
approving  voice  :  "  Thou  art  my  beloved  Son,  in  Thee  I  am 
well  pleased,"  —  Heaven's  reply  to  the  voice  from  hell 
counselling  Him  to  pursue  a  course  of  self-pleasing.  Perse- 
vering in  this  mind,  Jesus  was  at  length  lifted  up  on  the 
cross,  and  so  became  the  Author  of  eternal  salvation  unto 
all  them  that  obey  Him.  Blessed  now  and  forevermore  be 
His  name,  who  so  humbled  Himself,  and  became  obedient 
as  far  as  death  ! 


i82  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 


Section  II.  —  Cross-bearing  the  Law  of  Discipleship. 

Matt.  xvi.  24-28;  Mark  viii.  34-38;  Luke  ix.  23-27. 

After  one  hard  announcement,  comes  another  not  less 
hard.  The  Lord  Jesus  has  told  His  disciples  that  He  must 
one  day  be  put  to  death  ;  He  now  tells  them,  that  as  it  fares 
with  Him,  so  it  must  fare  with  them  also.  The  second 
announcement  was  naturally  occasioned  by  the  way  in  which 
the  first  had  been  received.  Peter  had  said,  and  all  had  felt, 
"  This  shall  not  be  unto  Thee."  Jesus  replies  in  effect, 
"  Say  you  so  }  I  tell  you  that  not  only  shall  I,  your  Master, 
be  crucified,  —  for  such  will  be  the  manner  of  my  death,' 
—  but  ye  too,  faithfully  following  me,  shall  most  certainly 
have  your  crosses  to  bear.  '  If  any  man  will  come  after 
me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow 
me.'" 

The  second  announcement  was  not,  like  the  first,  made  to 
the  twelve  only.  This  we  might  infer  from  the  terms  of  the 
announcement,  which  are  general,  even  if  we  had  not  been 
informed,  as  we  are  by  Mark  and  Luke,  that  before  making 
it  Jesus  called  the  people  unto  Him,  with  His  disciples,  and 
spake  in  the  hearing  of  them  all.^  The  doctrine  here 
taught,  therefore,  is  for  all  Christians  in  all  ages  :  not  for 
apostles  only,  but  for  the  humblest  disciples  ;  not  for  priests 
or  preachers,  but  for  the  laity  as  well  ;  not  for  monks  living 
in  cloisters,  but  for  men  living  and  working  in  the  outside 
world.  The  King  and  Head  of  the  church  here  proclaims  a 
universal  law  binding  on  all  His  subjects,  requiring  all  to 
bear  a  cross  in  fellowship  with  Himself. 

We  are  not  told  how  the  second  announcement  was 
received  by  those  who  heard  it,  and  particularly  by  the 
twelve.  We  can  believe,  however,  that  to  Peter  and  his 
brethren  it  sounded  less  harsh  than  the  first,  and  seemed,  at 
least  theoretically,  more  acceptable.  Common  experience 
might  teach  them  that  crosses,  however  unpleasant  to  flesh 
and  blood,  were  nevertheless  things  that  might  be  looked 

'  The  cross,  though  not  mentioned,  was  evidently  in  Christ's  thoughts  when  He  spake 
of  His  death  at  this  time.     Vide  last  section,  note,  p.  176. 

'  Mark  viii.  34,  TrpoaKaAeo-d^evos  Tov  ox^ov ;  Luke  ix.  23,  e\eye  &k  np'o';  navTai, 


First  Lesson  07i  the   Cross.  183 

for  in  the  lot  of  mere  men.  But  what  had  Christ  the  Son 
of  God  to  do  with  crosses  ?  Ought  He  not  to  be  exempt 
from  the  sufferings  and  indignities  of  ordinary  mortals  ?  If 
not,  of  what  avail  was  His  divine  Sonship  ?  In  short,  the 
difficulty  for  the  twelve  was  probably,  not  that  the  servant 
should  be  no  better  than  the  Master,  but  that  the  Master 
should  be  no  better  than  the  servant. 

Our  perplexity,  on  the  other  hand,  is  apt  to  be  just  the 
reverse  of  this.  Familiar  with  the  doctrine  that  Jesus  died 
on  the  cross  in  our  room,  we  are  apt  to  wonder  what  occasion 
there  can  be  for  our  bearing  a  cross.  If  He  suffered  for  us 
vicariously,  what  need,  we  are  ready  to  inquire,  for  suffering 
on  our  part  likewise .-'  We  need  to  be  reminded  that  Christ's 
sufferings,  while  in  some  respects  peculiar,  are  in  other 
respects  common  to  Him  with  all  in  whom  His  spirit  abides  ; 
that  while,  as  redemptive.  His  death  stands  alone,  as  suffer- 
ing for  righteousness'  sake  it  is  but  the  highest  instance  of 
a  universal  law,  according  to  which  all  who  live  a  true  godly 
life  must  suffer  hardship  in  a  false  evil  world."  And  it  is 
very  observable  that  Jesus  took  a  most  effectual  method 
of  keeping  this  truth  prominently  before  the  mind  of  His 
followers  in  all  ages,  by  proclaiming  it  with  great  emphasis 
on  the  first  occasion  on  which  He  plainly  announced  that  He 
Himself  was  to  die,  giving  it,  in  fact,  as  the  first  lesson  on 
the  doctrine  of  His  death :  the  first  of  four  to  be  foimd  in  the 
Gospels.^  Thereby  He  in  effect  declared  that  only  such  as 
were  willing  to  be  crucified  with  Him  should  be  saved  by 
His  death  ;  nay,  that  willingness  to  bear  a  cross  was  indis- 
pensable to  the  right  understanding  of  the  doctrine  of 
salvation  through  Him.  It  is  as  if  above  the  door  of  the 
school  in  which  the  mystery  of  redemption  was  to  be  taught, 
He  had  inscribed  the  legend :  Let  no  man  who  is  unwilling 
to  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  enter  here. 

In  this  great  law  of  discipleship  the  cross  signifies  not 
merely  the  external  penalty  of  death,  but  all  troubles  that 
come  on  those  who  earnestly  endeavor  to  live  as  Jesus  lived 

*  Plato  had  a  glimpse  of  this  law.  "  The  just,"  he  writes,  "  will  be  scourged,  racked, 
bound,  will  have  his  eyes   put   out,  and   after  suffering  many  ills  will   be  crucified^* 

(ivao-xii'SiAevd^creTai).  —  De  RepubUca,  lib.  U. 

^  Vide  chaps,  xvii.,  xviii.,  xxii. 


1 84  The  Training-  of  the  Twelve. 

in  this  world,  and  in  consequence  of  that  endeavor.  Many 
and  various  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous,  differing  in 
kind  and  degree,  according  to  times  and  circumstances,  and 
the  callings  and  stations  of  individuals.  For  the  righteous 
One,  who  died  not  only  by  the  unjust,  but  for  them,  the 
appointed  cup  was  filled  with  all  possible  ingredients  of  shame 
and  pain,  mingled  together  in  the  highest  degree  of  bitter- 
ness. Not  a  few  of  His  most  honored  servants  have  come 
very  near  their  Master  in  the  manner  and  measure  of  their 
afflictions  for  His  sake,  and  have  indeed  drunk  of  His  cup, 
and  been  baptized  with  His  bloody  baptism.  But  for  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  Christian  host  the  hardships  to  be  endured 
are  ordinarily  less  severe,  the  cross  to  be  borne  less  heavy. 
For  one  the  cross  may  be  the  calumnies  of  lying  lips,  "  which 
speak  grievous  things  proudly  and  contemptuously  against 
the  righteous  ; "  for  another,  failure  to  attain  the  much-wor- 
shipped idol  success  in  life,  so  often  reached  by  unholy  means 
not  available  for  a  man  who  has  a  conscience ;  for  a  third, 
mere  isolation  and  solitariness  of  spirit  amid  uncongenial, 
unsympathetic  neighbors,  not  minded  to  live  soberly,  right- 
eously, and  godly,  and  not  loving  those  who  do  so  live. 

The  cross,  therefore,  is  not  the  same  for  all.  But  that  there 
is  a  cross  of  some  shape  for  all  true  disciples  is  clearly  implied 
in  the  words  :  ^^  If  any  one  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross."  The  plain  meaning  of  these 
words  is,  that  there  is  no  following  Jesus  on  any  other  terms 
—  a  doctrine  which,  however  clearly  taught  in  the  Gospel, 
spurious  Christians  are  unwilling  to  believe  and  resolute 
to  deny.  They  take  the  edge  off  their  Lord's  statement 
by  explaining  that  it  applies  only  to  certain  critical  times, 
happily  very  different  from  their  own ;  or  that  if  it  has  some 
reference  to  all  times,  it  is  only  applicable  to  such  as  are 
called  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs  as  leaders  of 
opinion,  pioneers  of  progress,  prophets  denouncing  the  vices 
of  the  age,  and  uttering  unwelcome  oracles,  —  a  proverbially 
dangerous  occupation,  as  the  Greek  poet  testified  who  said  : 
"Apollo  alone  should  prophesy,  for  he  fears  nobody."  '  To 
maintain  that  all  who  would  live  devoutly  in  Christ  Jesus 

'  <l>oi'(3ov  auBpiinroii  IJ.6vov 
Xpqi/  eeaniifSilv  os  6€SoiKfv  ovSeva.  —  EURIP.  P/iasnisscT,  958,  959. 


First  Lesson  on  the   Cross.  185 

must  suffer  somehow,  is,  they  think,  to  take  too  gloomy  and 
morose  a  view  of  the  wickedness  of  the  world,  or  too  high 
and  exacting  a  view  of  the  Christian  life.  The  righteousness 
which  in  ordinary  times  involves  a  cross  is  in  their  view  folly 
and  fanaticism.  It  is  speaking  when  one  should  be  silent, 
meddling  in  matters  with  which  one  has  no  concern ;  in  a 
word,  it  is  being  righteous  overmuch.  Such  thoughts  as 
these,  expressed  or  unexpressed,  are  sure  to  prevail  exten- 
sively when  religious  profession  is  common.  The  fact  that 
fidelity  involves  a  cross,  as  also  the  fact  that  Christ  was  cruci- 
fied just  because  He  was  righteous,  are  well  understood  by 
Christians  when  they  are  a  suffering  minority,  as  in  primitive 
ages.  But  these  truths  are  much  lost  sight  of  in  peaceful, 
prosperous  times.  Then  you  shall  find  many  holding  most 
sound  views  of  the  cross  Christ  bore  for  them,  but  sadly 
ignorant  concerning  the  cross  they  themselves  have  to  bear  in 
fellowship  with  Christ.  Of  this  cross  they  are  determined 
to  know  nothing.  What  it  can  mean,  or  whence  it  can  come, 
they  cannot  comprehend ;  though  had  they  the  true  spirit  of 
self-denial  required  of  disciples  by  Christ,  they  might  find  it 
for  themselves  in  their  daily  life,  in  their  business,  in  their 
home,  nay,  in  their  own  heart,  and  have  no  need  to  seek  for 
it  in  the  ends  of  the  earth,  or  to  manufacture  artificial  crosses 
out  of  ascetic  austerities. 

To  the  law  of  the  cross  Jesus  annexed  three  reasons 
designed  to  make  the  obeying  of  it  easier,  by  showing 
disciples  that,  in  rendering  obedience  to  the  stern  requirement, 
they  attend  to  their  own  true  interest.  Each  reason  is 
introduced  by  a  "For." 

The  first  reason  is  :  "  For  whosoever  will  save  his  life 
shall  lose  it ;  but  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake 
shall  find  it."  In  this  startling  paradox  the  word  "life"  is 
used  in  a  double  sense.  In  the  first  clause  of  each  member 
of  the  sentence  it  signifies  natural  life,  with  all  the  adjuncts 
that  make  it  pleasant  and  enjoyable ;  in  the  second,  it  means 
the  spiritual  life  of  a  renewed  soul.  The  deep,  pregnant 
saying  may  therefore  be  thus  expanded  and  paraphrased : 
Whosoever  will  save,  i.e.,  make  it  his  first  business  to  save 
or  preserve,  his  natural  life  and  worldly  wellbeing,  shall  lose 
the  higher  life,  the  life  indeed ;  and  whosoever  is  willing  to 


1 86  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

lose  his  natural  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  the  true  eternal 
life.  According  to  this  maxim  we  must  lose  something,  it  is 
not  possible  to  live  without  sacrifice  of  some  kind  ;  the  only- 
question  being  what  shall  be  sacrificed  —  the  lower  or  the 
higher  life,  animal  happiness  or  spiritual  blessedness.  If  we 
choose  the  higher,  we  must  be  prepared  to  deny  ourselves 
and  take  up  our  cross,  though  the  actual  amount  of  the  loss 
we  are  called  on  to  bear  may  be  small ;  for  godliness  is 
profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that 
now  is,  as  well  as  of  that  which  is  to  come."  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  choose  the  lower,  and  resolve  to  have  it  at  all 
hazards,  we  must  inevitably  lose  the  higher.  The  soul's  life, 
and  all  the  imperishable  goods  of  the  soul,  —  righteousness, 
godliness,  faith,  love,  patience,  meekness,^  —  are  the  price 
we  pay  for  worldly  enjoyment. 

This  price  is  too  great :  and  that  is  what  Jesus  next  told 
His  hearers  as  the  second  persuasive  to  cross-bearing.  "For 
what,"  He  went  on  to  ask,  "is  a  man  profited  if  he  shall 
gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul }  or  what 
shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  .■' "  The  two 
questions  set  forth  the  incomparable  value  of  the  soul  on 
both  sides  of  a  commercial  transaction.  The  soul,  or  life, 
in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,^  is  too  dear  a  price  to  pay  even 
for  the  whole  world,  not  to  say  for  that  small  portion  of 
it  which  falls  to  the  lot  of  any  one  individual.  He  who 
gains  the  world  at  such  a  cost  is  a  loser  by  the  bargain.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  whole  world  is  too  small,  yea,  an  utterly 
inadequate  price,  to  pay  for  the  ransom  of  the  soul  once  lost. 
What  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  the  priceless  thing 
he  has  foolishly  bartered  away.'*  "Wherewith  shall  I  come 
before  the  Lord,  and  bow  myself  before  the  high  God }  shall 
I  come  before  Him  with  burnt-offerings,  with  calves  of  a 
year  old  }  will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with  thousands  of  rams,  or 
with  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil }  shall  I  give  my  firstborn 
for  my  transgression,  the  fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin  of  my 
soul .-'  "  ^    No  !  O  man  ;  not  any  of  these  things,  nor  any  thing 

'  I  Tim.  iv.  8. 
^  I  Tim.  vi.  II. 

3  The  word  rendered  "  soul  "  in  ver.  26  is  the  same  which  is  rendered  "  life  "  in  van 
25  (i;/ux>i).    The  two  meanings  are  blended  here. 
*  Micah  vi.  6. 


First  Lesson  on  the   Cross.  187 

else  thou  hast  to  give  ;  not  the  fruit  of  thy  merchandise,  not 
ten  thousands  of  pounds  sterling.  Thou  canst  not  buy  back 
thy  soul,  which  thou  hast  bartered  for  the  world,  with  all 
that  thou  hast  of  the  world.  The  redemption  of  the  soul  is 
indeed  precious  ;  it  cannot  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of 
sin  by  corruptible  things,  such  as  silver  and  gold :  the 
attempt  to  purchase  pardon  and  peace  and  life  that  way  can 
only  make  thy  case  more  hopeless,  and  add  to  thy  condem- 
nation. 

The  appeal  contained  in  these  solemn  questions  comes 
home  with  irresistible  force  to  all  who  are  in  their  right 
mind.  Such  feel  that  no  outward  good  can  be  compared  in 
value  to  having  a  "saved  soul,"  i.e.  being  a  right-minded 
Christian  man.  All,  however,  are  not  so  minded.  Multitudes 
account  their  souls  of  very  small  value  indeed.  Judas  sold 
his  soul  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver ;  and  not  a  few  who 
probably  deem  themselves  better  than  he  would  part  with 
theirs  for  the  most  paltry  worldly  advantage.  The  great 
ambition  of  the  million  is  to  be  happy  as  animals,  not  to  be 
blessed  as  "saved,"  noble-spirited,  sanctified  men.  "Who 
will  show  us  any  good  }  "  is  that  which  the  many  say.  "  Give 
us  health,  wealth,  houses,  lands,  honors,  and  we  care  not  for 
righteousness,  either  imputed  or  personal,  peace  of  conscience, 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  may  be  good  also  in  their 
way,  and  if  one  could  have  them  along  with  the  other,  with- 
out trouble  or  sacrifice,  it  were  perhaps  well ;  but  we  cannot 
consent,  for  their  sakes,  to  deny  ourselves  any  pleasure,  or 
voluntarily  endure  any  hardship." 

The  third  argument  in  favor  of  cross-bearing  is  drawn 
from  the  second  advent.  "  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come 
in  the  glory  of  His  Father,  with  His  angels  ;  and  then  shall 
He  reward  every  man  according  to  his  works."  '  These 
words  suggest  a  contrast  between  the  present  and  the  future 
state  of  the  speaker,  and  imply  a  promise  of  a  corresponding 
contrast  between  the  present  and  the  future  of  His  faithful 
followers.  Now  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  man,  destined  ere  many 
weeks  pass  to  be  crucified  at  Jerusalem.  At  the  end  of  the 
days  He  will  appear  invested  with  the  manifest  glory  of 
Messiah,  attended  with  a  mighty  host  of  ministering  spirits ; 

*  Matt.  xvi.  17.    Ver,  28  presents  a  difficulty  on  which  we  cannot  enter  here. 


1 88  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

His  reward  for  enduring  the  cross,  despising  the  shame. 
Then  will  He  reward  every  man  according  to  the  tenor  of  his 
present  life.  To  the  cross-bearers  He  will  grant  a  crown  of 
righteousness ;  to  the  cross-spurners  He  will  assign,  as  their 
due,  shame  and  everlasting  contempt.  Stern  doctrine, 
distasteful  to  the  modern  mind  on  various  grounds,  specially 
on  these  two :  because  it  sets  before  us  alternatives  in  the 
life  beyond,  and  because  it  seeks  to  propagate  heroic  virtue 
by  hope  of  reward,  instead  of  exhibiting  virtue  as  its  own 
reward.  As  to  the  former,  the  alternative  of  the  promised 
reward  is  certainly  a  great  mystery  and  burden  to  the  spirit  ; 
but  it  is  to  be  feared  that  an  alternative  is  involved  in  any 
earnest  doctrine  of  moral  distinctions  or  of  human  freedom 
and  responsibility.  As  to  the  other.  Christians  need  not 
be  afraid  of  degenerating  into  moral  vulgarity  in  Christ's 
company.  There  is  no  vulgarity  or  impurity  in  the  virtue 
which  is  sustained  by  the  hope  of  eternal  life.  That  hope 
is  not  selfishness,  but  simply  self-consistency.  It  is  simply 
believing  in  the  reality  of  the  kingdom  for  which  you  labor 
and  suffer ;  involving,  of  course,  the  reality  of  each  individ- 
ual Christian's  interest  therein,  your  own  not  excepted. 
And  such  faith  is  necessary  to  heroism.  For  who  would 
fight  and  suffer  for  a  dream  t  What  patriot  would  risk  his 
life  for  his  country's  cause  who  did  not  hope  for  the 
restoration  of  her  independence.!*  And  who  but  a  pedant 
would  say  that  the  purity  of  his  patriotism  was  sullied, 
because  his  hope  for  the  whole  nation  did  not  exclude  all 
reference  to  himself  as  an  individual  citizen }  Equally 
necessary  is  it  that  a  Christian  should  believe  in  the  king- 
dom of  glory,  and  equally  natural  and  proper  that  he  should 
cherish  the  hope  of  a  personal  share  in  its  honors  and 
felicities.  Where  such  faith  and  hope  are  not,  little 
Christian  heroism  will  be  found.  For  as  an  ancient  Church 
Father  said,  "There  is  no  certain  work  where  there  is  an 
uncertain  reward."  '  Men  cannot  be  heroes  in  doubt  or 
despair.  They  cannot  struggle  after  perfection  and  a  divine 
kingdom,  sceptical  the  while  whether  these  things  be  more 
than  devout   imaginations,  unrealizable    ideals.     In    such  a 

'  Nullum  opus  certum  est  mercedis  incertae.     Tertulliani  De  Resurrectione  Carnis, 
cap.  xxi.    See  also  Clark's  Ante-Nicene  Library  :  Tertullian,  ii.  251. 


First  Lesson  on  the  Cross.  189 

mood  they  will  take  things  easy,  and  make  secular  happiness 
their  chief  concern.' 

'  Pfleiderer,  who  occupies  the  standpoint  of  a  speculative  theism  which  recognizes  no 
miraculous  breach  of  the  world's  continuity,  and  who  maintains  the  doctrine  of  universal 
restitution,  the  ultimate  unconditional  victory  of  good  over  evil,  in  his  work.  Die  Religion, 
advocates  the  views  above  expressed  in  reference  to  the  moral  quality  of  virtue  stimulated 
by  the  Eternal  Hope.  He  bases  the  doctrine  of  immortality  on  this,  that  a  belief  in  the 
realizableness  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  a  necessary  condition  of  heroism,  and  he  resolves 
the  hope  of  the  individual  Christian,  as  we  have  done,  into  that  belief.  With  reference 
to  the  value  of  this  hope  to  the  heroes  of  the  race,  he  remarks  :  "  Look  at  the  real 
heroes  of  good  in  the  world,  as  distinct  from  the  vain  prattlers  about  virtue :  is  not  in  all 
these  the  ground-tone  a  deep  elegiac  rather  than  a  cheerful  one  ?  do  not  they  all  speak 
more  of  the  bitterness  than  of  the  happiness  of  life  ? "  Having  pointed  out  the  cause  of 
this  in  the  frustration  of  noble  aims  in  the  present  life,  he  asks  whether  a  fight  begun 
and  carried  on  with  the  eonscioiisness  of  its  hopelessness  has  a  rational  sense.  The  whole 
argument  is  very  well  worth  perusal.  Vide  Die  Religion,  ii.  238,  239.  In  his  more 
recent  work,  Religionsphilosophie,  published  in  1878,  this  author  expresses  himself  in  a 
more  unfavorable  manner  respecting  the  life  to  come,  treating  the  fact  as  doubtful,  and 
faith  in  it  as  not  indispensable. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE    TRANSFIGURATION. 
Matt.  xvii.  i  - 13 ;  Mark  ix.  2-13;  Luke  ix.  28-36. 

The  transfiguration  is  one  of  those  passages  in  the 
Saviour's  earthly  history  which  an  expositor  would  rather  pass 
over  in  reverent  silence.  For  such  silence  the  same  apology 
might  be  pleaded  which  is  so  kindly  made  in  the  Gospel 
narrative  for  Peter's  foolish  speech  concerning  the  three 
tabernacles  :  "  He  wist  not  what  to  say."  Who  does  know 
what  to  say  any  more  than  he .-'  Who  is  able  fully  to  speak 
of  that  wondrous  night-scene  among  the  mountains,'  during 
which  heaven  was  for  a  few  brief  moments  let  down  to 
earth,  and  the  mortal  body  of  Jesus  being  transfigured  shone 
with  celestial  brightness,  and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect  appeared  and  held  converse  with  Him  respecting  His 
approaching  passion,  and  a  voice  came  forth  from  the  excel- 
lent glory,  pronouncing  Him  to  be  God's  well-beloved  Son  ? 
It  is  too  high  for  us,  this  august  spectacle,  we  cannot  attain 
unto  it  ;  its  grandeur  oppresses  and  stupefies  ;  its  mystery 
surpasses  our  comprehension  ;  its  glory  is  ineffable.  There- 
fore, avoiding  all  speculation,  curious  questioning,  theological 
disquisition,  and  ambitious  word-picturing  in  connection  with 
the  remarkable  occurrence  here  recorded,  we  confine  our- 
selves in  this  chapter  to  the  humble  task  of  explaining 
briefly  its  significance  for  Jesus  Himself,  and  its  lesson  for 
His  disciples. 

The  "transfiguration,"  to  be  understood,  must  be  viewed 
in  connection  with  the  announcement  made  by  Jesus  shortly 
before  it  happened,  concerning  His  death.  This  is  evident 
from  the  simple  fact,  that  the  three  evangelists  who  relate 
the  event  so  carefully  note  the  time  of  its  occurrence  with 

'  Of  Hermon  ?    The  traditional  scene  of  the  transfiguration  was  Mount  Tabor. 
190 


The  Transfiguration.  191 

reference  to  that  announcement,  and  the  conversation  which 
accompanied  it.  All  tell  how,  within  six  or  eight  days 
thereafter,'  Jesus  took  three  of  His  disciples,  Peter,  James, 
and  John,  and  brought  them  into  an  high  mountain  apart, 
and  was  transfigured  before  them.  The  Gospel  historians 
are  not  wont  to  be  so  careful  in  their  indications  of  time, 
and  their  minute  accuracy  here  signifies  in  effect  :  "  While 
the  foregoing  communications  and  discourses  concerning  the 
cross  were  fresh  in  the  thoughts  of  all  the  parties,  the  won- 
drous events  we  are  now  to  relate  took  place."  The  relative 
date,  in  fact,  is  a  fingerpost  pointing  back  to  the  conversation 
on  the  passion,  and  saying  :  "  If  you  desire  to  understand 
what  follows,  remember  what  went  before." 

This  inference  from  the  note  of  time  given  by  all  the 
evangelists  is  fully  borne  out  by  a  statement  made  by  Luke 
alone,  respecting  the  subject  of  the  conversation  on  the  holy 
mount  between  Jesus  and  His  celestial  visitants.  "  And," 
we  read,  "  behold,  there  talked  with  Him  two  men,  which 
were  Moses  and  Elias  ;  who  appeared  in  glory,  and  spake 
of  His  decease  (or  exodus)  which  He  should  accomplish  at 
Jerusalem."^  That  exit,  so  different  from  their  own  in  its 
circumstances  and  consequences,  was  the  theme  of  their 
talk.  They  had  appeared  to  Jesus  to  converse  with  Him 
thereon  ;  and  when  they  ceased  speaking  concerning  it, 
they  took  their  departure  for  the  abodes  of  the  blessed. 
How  long  the  conference  lasted  we  know  not,  but  the  subject 
was  sufificiently  suggestive  of  interesting  topics  of  conversa- 
tion. There  was,  e.g.,  the  surprising  contrast  between  the 
death  of  Moses,  immediate  and  painless,  while  his  eye  was 
not  dim  nor  his  natural  force  abated,  and  the  painful  and 
ignominious  death  to  be  endured  by  Jesus.  Then  there  was 
the  not  less  remarkable  contrast  between  the  manner  of 
Elijah's  departure  from  the  earth  —  translated  to  heaven 
without  tasting  death  at  all,  making  a  triumphant  exit  out  of 
the  world  in  a  chariot  of  fire,  and  the  way  by  which  Jesus 
should  enter  into  glory  —  the  via  dolorosa  of  the  cross. 
Whence  this  privilege  of  exemption  from  death,  or  from  its 

'  ikiff  Jjfiepas  ef ,  Matthew  and  Mark  ;  io-ei  iiaepat  oktoi,  Luke.     The  two  expressions 
may  easily  mean  tiie  same  period  of  time. 
*  Luke  ix.  31,  iX^yov  rrjc  e^oSov  airov. 


192  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

bitterness,  granted  to  the  representatives  of  the  law  and  the 
prophets,  and  wherefore  denied  to  Him  who  was  the  end 
both  of  law  and  of  prophecy  ?  On  these  points,  and  others 
of  kindred  nature,  the  two  celestial  messengers,  enlightened 
by  the  clear  light  of  heaven,  may  have  held  intelligent  and 
sympathetic  converse  with  the  Son  of  man,  to  the  refresh- 
ment of  His  weary,  saddened,  solitary  soul. 

The  same  evangelist  who  specifies  the  subject  of  conversa- 
tion on  the  holy  mount  further  records  that,  previous  to  His 
transfiguration,  Jesus  had  been  engaged  in  prayer.  We  may 
therefore  see,  in  the  honor  and  glory  conferred  on  Him 
there,  the  Father's  answer  to  His  Son's  supplications ;  and 
from  the  nature  of  the  answer  we  may  infer  the  subject 
of  prayer.  It  was  the  same  as  afterwards  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane.  The  cup  of  death  was  present  to  the  mind 
of  Jesus  now,  as  then ;  the  cross  was  visible  to  His  spiritual 
eye  ;  and  He  prayed  for  nerve  to  drink,  for  courage  to 
endure.  The  attendance  of  the  three  confidential  disciples, 
Peter,  James,  and  John,  significantly  hints  at  the  similarity  of 
the  two  occasions.  The  Master  took  these  disciples  with  Him 
into  the  mount,  as  He  afterwards  took  them  into  the  garden, 
that  He  might  not  be  altogether  destitute  of  company  and 
kindly  sympathy  as  He  walked  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  and  felt  the  horror  and  the  loneliness  of 
the  situation. 

It  is  now  clear  how  we  must  view  the  transfiguration  scene 
in  relation  to  Jesus.  It  was  an  aid  to  faith  and  patience, 
specially  vouchsafed  to  the  meek  and  lowly  Son  of  man,  in 
answer  to  His  prayers,  to  cheer  Him  on  His  sorrowful  path 
towards  Jerusalem  and  Calvary.  Three  distinct  aids  to  His 
faith  were  supplied  in  the  experiences  of  that  wondrous  night. 
The  first  was  a  foretaste  of  the  glory  with  which  He  should 
be  rewarded  after  His  passion,  for  His  voluntary  humiliation 
and  obedience  unto  death.  For  the  moment  He  was,  as  it 
were,  rapt  up  into  heaven,  where  He  had  been  before  He 
came  into  the  world  ;  for  His  face  shone  like  the  sun,  and 
His  raiment  was  white  as  the  pure  untrodden  snow  on  the 
high  alpine  summits  of  Hermon.  "Be  of  good  cheer,"  said 
that  sudden  flood  of  celestial  light :  "  the  suffering  will  soon 
be  past,  and  Thou  shalt  enter  into  Thine  eternal  joy  !" 


The  Transfiguration.  193 

A  second  source  of  comfort  to  Jesus  in  the  experiences  on  - 
the  mount,  was  the  assurance  that  the  mystery  of  the  cross 
was  understood  and  appreciated  by  saints  in  heaven,  if  not 
by  the  darkened  minds  of  sinful  men  on  earth.  He  greatly 
needed  such  comfort ;  for  among  the  men  then  living,  not 
excepting  His  chosen  disciples,  there  was  not  one  to  whom 
He  could  speak  on  that  theme  with  any  hope  of  eliciting  an 
intelligent  and  sympathetic  response.  Only  a  few  days  ago, 
He  had  ascertained  by  painful  experience  the  utter  incapacity 
ot  the  twelve,  even  of  the  most  quick-witted  and  warm-hearted 
among  them,  to  comprehend  the  mystery  of  His  passion,  or 
even  to  believe  in  it  as  a  certain  fact.  Verily  the  Son  of  ^ 
man  was  most  lonely  as  He  passed  through  the  dark  valley ! 
the  very  presence  of  stupid,  unsympathetic  companions  serv- 
ing only  to  enhance  the  sense  of  solitariness.  When  He 
wanted  company  that  could  understand  His  passion  thoughts, 
He  was  obliged  to  hold  converse  with  spirits  of  just  men 
made  perfect ;  for,  as  far  as  mortal  men  were  concerned,  He 
had  to  be  content  to  finish  His  great  work  without  the  com- 
fort of  being  understood  until  it  was  accomplished. 

The  talk  of  the  great  lawgiver  and  of  the  great  prophet  of 
Israel  on  the  subject  of  His  death  was  doubtless  a  real  solace 
to  the  spirit  of  Jesus.  We  know  how  He  comforted  Himself 
at  other  times  with  the  thought  of  being  understood  in  heaven 
if  not  on  earth.  When  heartless  Pharisees  called  in  question 
His  conduct  in  receiving  sinners.  He  sought  at  once  His 
defence  and  His  consolation  in  the  blessed  fact  that  there 
was  joy  in  heaven  at  least,  whatever  there  might  be  among 
them,  over  one  penitent  sinner,  more  than  over  ninety  and 
nine  just  persons  that  needed  no  repentance.  When  He 
thought  how  "little  ones,"  the  weak  and  helpless,  were 
despised  and  trampled  under  foot  in  this  proud  inhuman 
world,  He  reflected  with  unspeakable  satisfaction  that  in 
heaven  their  angels  did  always  behold  the  face  of  His  Father  ; 
yea,  that  in  heaven  there  were  angels  who  made  the  care  of 
little  ones  their  special  business,  and  were  therefore  fully 
able  to  appreciate  the  doctrine  of  humility  and  kindness 
which  He  strove  to  inculcate  on  ambitious  and  quarrelsome 
disciples.  Surely,  then,  we  may  believe  that  when  He  looked 
forward  to  His  own  decease  —  the  crowning  evidence  of  His 


194  ^^^^   Trai7iijig  of  the  Twelve. 

love  for  sinners  —  it  was  a  comfort  to  His  heart  to  think  : 
"  Up  yonder  they  know  that  I  am  to  suffer,  and  comprehend 
the  reason  why,  and  watch  with  eager  interest  to  see  how  I 
move  on  with  unfaltering  step,  with  my  face  steadfastly  set  to 
go  to  Jerusalem."  And  would  it  not  be  specially  comforting 
to  have  sensible  evidence  of  this,  in  an  actual  visit  from  two 
denizens  of  the  upper  world,  deputed  as  it  were  and  com- 
missioned to  express  the  general  mind  of  the  whole  community 
of  glorified  saints,  who  understood  that  their  presence  in 
heaven  was  due  to  the  merits  of  that  sacrifice  which  He  was 
about  to  offer  up  in  His  own  person  on  the  hill  of  Calvary  ? 

A  third,  and  the  chief  solace  to  the  heart  of  Jesus,  was 
the  approving  voice  of  His  heavenly  Father  :  "  This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  That  voice, 
uttered  then,  meant :  "  Go  on  Thy  present  way,  self-devoted  to 
death,  and  shrinking  not  from  the  cross.  I  am  pleased  with 
Thee,  because  Thou  pleasest  not  Thyself.  Pleased  with  Thee 
at  all  times,  I  am  most  emphatically  delighted  with  Thee  when, 
in  a  signal  manner,  as  lately  in  the  announcement  made  to 
Thy  disciples.  Thou  dost  show  it  to  be  Thy  fixed  purpose 
to  save  others,  and  not  to  save  Thyself." 

This  voice  from  the  excellent  glory  was  one  of  three 
uttered  by  the  divine  Father  in  the  hearing  of  His  Son 
during  His  life  on  earth.  The  first  was  uttered  by  the 
Jordan,  after  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  and  was  the  same  as 
the  present,  save  that  it  was  spoken  to  Him,  not  concerning 
Him,  to  others.  The  last  was  uttered  at  Jerusalem  shortly 
before  the  crucifixion,  and  was  of  similar  import  with  the 
two  preceding,  but  different  in  form.  The  soul  of  Jesus 
being  troubled  with  the  near  prospect  of  death,  He  prayed  : 
"  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour  ;  but  for  this  cause  came 
I  unto  this  hour.  Father,  glorify  Thy  name."  Then,  we 
read,  came  there  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  :  "  I  have  both 
glorified  it  (by  Thy  life),  and  will  glorify  it  again "  (more 
signally  by  Thy  death).  All  three  voices  served  one  end. 
Elicited  at  crises  in  Christ's  history,  when  He  manifested  in 
peculiar  intensity  His  devotion  to  the  work  for  which  He 
had  come  into  the  world,  and  His  determination  to  finish  it, 
however  irksome  the  task  might  be  to  flesh  and  blood,  these 
voices  expressed,  for  His  encouragement  and  strengthening, 


The  Transfiguration.  195 

the  complacency  with  which  His  Father  regarded  His  self- 
humiliation  and  obedience  unto  death.  At  His  baptism, 
He,  so  to  speak,  confessed  the  sins  of  the  whole  world ;  and 
by  submitting  to  the  rite,  expressed  His  purpose  to  fulfil 
all  righteousness  as  the  Redeemer  from  sin.  Therefore 
the  Father  then,  for  the  first  time,  pronounced  Him  His 
beloved  Son.  Shortly  before  the  transfiguration  He  had 
energetically  repelled  the  suggestion  of  an  affectionate 
disciple,  that  He  should  save  Himself  from  His  anticipated 
doom,  as  a  temptation  of  the  devil  ;  therefore  the  Father 
renewed  the  declaration,  changing  the  second  person  into  the 
third,  for  the  sake  of  those  disciples  who  were  present,  and 
specially  of  Peter,  who  had  listened  to  the  voice  of  his  own 
heart  rather  than  to  his  Master's  words.  Finally,  a  few 
days  before  His  death,  He  overcame  a  temptation  of  the 
same  nature  as  that  to  which  Peter  had  subjected  Him, 
springing  this  time  out  of  the  sinless  infirmity  of  His  own 
human  nature.  Beginning  His  prayer  with  the  expression 
of  a  wish  to  be  saved  from  the  dark  hour,  He  ended  it  with 
the  petition,  "  Glorify  Thy  name."  Therefore  the  Father 
once  more  repeated  the  expression  of  His  approval,  declar- 
ing in  effect  His  satisfaction  with  the  way  in  which  His 
Son  had  glorified  His  name  hitherto,  and  His  confidence 
that  He  would  not  fail  to  crown  His  career  of  obedience  by 
a  God-glorifying  death. 

Such  being  the  meaning  of  the  vision  on  the  mount  for/ 
Jesus,  we  have  now  to  consider  what  lesson  it  taught  the 
disciples  who  were  present,  and  through  them  their  brethren 
and  all  Christians. 

The  main  point  in  this  connection  is  the  injunction 
appended  to  the  heavenly  voice:  "Hear  Him."  This  ^ 
command  refers  specially  to  the  doctrine  of  the  cross 
preached  by  Jesus  to  the  twelve,  and  so  ill  received  by 
them.  It  was  meant  to  be  a  solemn,  deliberate  indorse- 
ment of  all  that  He  had  said  then  concerning  His  own 
sufferings,  and  concerning  the  obligation  to  bear  their  cross 
lying  on  all  His  followers.  Peter,  James,  and  John  were, 
as  it  were,  invited  to  recall  all  that  had  fallen  from  their 
Master's  lips  on  the  unwelcome  topic,  and  assured  that  it 
was  wholly  true  and  in  accordance  with    the  divine   mind. 


196  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Nay,  as  these  disciples  had  received  the  doctrine  with 
murmurs  of  disapprobation,  the  voice  from  heaven  addressed 
to  them  was  a  stern  word  of  rebuke,  which  said  :  "  Murmur 
not,  but  devoutly  and  obediently  hear." 

This  rebuke  was  all  the  more  needful,  that  the  disciples  had 
just  shown  that  they  were  still  of  the  same  mind  as  they 
had  been  six  days  ago.  Peter  at  least  was  as  yet  in  no  cross- 
bearing  humor.  When,  on  wakening  up  to  clear  consciousness 
from  the  drowsy  fit  which  had  fallen  on  him,  that  disciple 
observed  the  two  strangers  in  the  act  of  departing,  he 
exclaimed  :  "  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,  and  let  us 
make  three  tabernacles  ;  one  for  Thee,  and  one  for  Moses, 
and  one  for  Elias."  He  was  minded,  we  perceive,  to  enjoy 
the  felicities  of  heaven  without  any  preliminary  process  of 
cross-bearing.  He  thought  to  himself  :  "  How  much  better 
to  abide  up  here  with  the  saints  than  down  below  amidst 
unbelieving  captious  Pharisees  and  miserable  human  beings, 
enduring  the  contradiction  of  sinners,  and  battling  with  the 
manifold  ills  wherewith  the  earth  is  cursed  !  Stay  here,  my 
Master,  and  you  may  bid  good-by  to  all  those  dark  forebodings 
of  coming  sufferings,  and  will  be  beyond  the  reach  of 
malevolent  priests,  elders,  and  scribes.  Stay  here,  on  this 
sun-lit,  heaven-kissing  hill ;  go  no  more  down  into  the 
depressing,  sombre  valley  of  humiliation.  Farewell,  earth 
and  the  cross  :  welcome,  heaven  and  the  crown  !  " 

We  do  not  forget,  while  thus  paraphrasing  Peter's  foolish 
speech,  that  when  he  uttered  it  he  was  dazed  with  sleep 
and  the  splendors  of  the  midnight  scene.  Yet,  when  due 
allowance  has  been  made  for  this,  it  remains  true  that  the 
idle  suggestion  was  an  index  of  the  disciple's  present  mind. 
Peter  ivas  drunken,  though  not  with  wine  ;  but  what  men 
say,  even  when  drunken,  is  characteristic.  There  was  a 
sober  meaning  in  his  senseless  speech  about  the  tabernacle. 
He  really  meant  that  the  celestial  visitants  should  remain, 
and  not  go  away,  as  they  were  in  the  act  of  doing  when  he 
spoke.'  This  appears  from  the  conversation  which  took 
place  between  Jesus  and  the  three  disciples  while  descending 
the  mountain.^  Peter  and  his  two  companions  asked  their 
Master:    "Why  then  say  the  scribes  that  Elias  must  first 

»  Luke  ix.  33,  iv  ry  6iaxu>pi^eo-eat.  *  Matt.  xvii.  9-13;  Mark  ix.  9-13. 


TJie  Transfiguration.  197 

come?"  The  question  referred,  we  think,  not  to  the 
injunction  laid  on  the  disciples  by  Jesus  just  before,  "Tell 
the  vision  to  no  man  until  the  Son  of  man  be  risen  again 
from  the  dead,"  but  rather  to  the  fugitive,  fleeting  character 
of  the  whole  scene  on  the  mountain.  The  three  brethren 
were  not  only  disappointed,  but  perplexed,  that  the  two 
celestials  had  been  so  like  angels  in  the  shortness  of  their 
stay  and  the  suddenness  of  their  departure.  They  had 
accepted  the  current  notion  about  the  advent  of  Elias  before, 
and  in  order  to,  the  restoration  of  the  kingdom  ;  and  they 
fondly  hoped  that  this  was  he  come  at  last  in  company  with 
Moses,  heralding  the  approaching  glory,  as  the  advent  of 
swallows  from  tropical  climes  is  a  sign  that  summer  is  nigh, 
and  that  winter  with  its  storms  and  rigors  is  over  and  gone. 
In  truth,  while  their  Master  was  preaching  the  cross  they 
had  been  dreaming  of  crowns.  We  shall  find  them  continuing 
so  to  dream  till  the  very  end. 

"  Hear  ye  Him  :  "  —  this  voice  was  not  meant  for  the  three 
disciples  alone,  or  even  for  the  twelve,  but  for  all  professed 
followers  of  Christ  as  well  as  for  them.  It  says  to  every 
Christian  :  "  Hear  Jesus,  and  strive  to  understand  Him  while 
He  speaks  of  the  mystery  of  His  sufferings  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow  —  those  themes  which  even  angels  desire 
to  look  into.  Hear  Him  when  He  proclaims  cross-bearing 
as  a  duty  incumbent  on  all  disciples,  and  listen  not  to  self- 
indulgent  suggestions  of  flesh  and  blood,  or  the  temptations 
of  Satan  counselling  thee  to  make  self-interest  or  self- 
preservation  thy  chief  end.  Hear  Him,  yet  again,  and  weary 
not  of  the  world,  nor  seek  to  lay  down  thy  burden  before  the 
time.  Dream  not  of  tabernacles  where  thou  mayest  dwell 
secure,  like  a  hermit  in  the  wild,  having  no  share  in  all  that 
is  done  beneath  the  circuit  of  the  sun.  Do  thy  part  manfully, 
and  in  due  season  thou  shalt  have,  not  a  tent,  but  a  temple 
to  dwell  in  :  an  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens. 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that  we  who  are  in  this  tabernacle  of 
the  body,  in  this  world  of  sorrow,  cannot  but  groan  now  and 
then,  being  burdened.  This  is  our  infirmity,  and  in  itself  it 
is  not  sinful ;  neither  is  it  wrong  to  heave  an  occasional  sigh, 
and  utter  a  passing  wish  that  the  time  of  cross-bearing  were 


198  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

over.  Even  the  holy  Jesus  felt  at  times  this  weariness  of 
life.  An  expression  of  something  like  impatience  escaped 
His  lips  at  this  very  season.  When  He  came  down  from 
the  mount  and  learned  what  was  going  on  at  its  base,  He 
exclaimed,  with  reference  at  once  to  the  unbelief  of  the 
scribes  who  were  present,  to  the  weak  faith  of  the  disciples, 
and  to  the  miseries  of  mankind  suffering  the  consequences  of 
the  curse  :  "  O  faithless  and  perverse  generation,  how  long 
shall  I  be  with  you.-*  how  long  shall  I  suffer  you.-*"  Even 
the  loving  Redeemer  of  man  felt  tempted  to  be  weary  in 
well-doing  —  weary  of  encountering  the  contradiction  of 
sinners  and  of  bearing  with  the  spiritual  weakness  of  disciples. 
Such  weariness  therefore,  as  a  momentary  feeling,  is  not 
necessarily  sinful  :  it  may  rather  be  a  part  of  our  cross.  But 
it  must  not  be  indulged  in  or  yielded  to.  Jesus  did  not  give 
Himself  up  to  the  feeling.  Though  He  complained  of  the 
generation  amidst  which  He  lived.  He  did  not  cease  from 
His  labors  of  love  for  its  benefit.  Having  relieved  His 
heart  by  this  utterance  of  a  reproachful  exclamation,  He  gave 
orders  that  the  poor  lunatic  should  be  brought  to  Him  that 
he  might  be  healed.  Then,  when  He  had  wrought  this 
new  miracle  of  mercy.  He  patiently  explained  to  His  own 
disciples  the  cause  of  their  impotence  to  cope  successfully 
with  the  maladies  of  men,  and  taught  them  how  they  might 
attain  the  power  of  casting  out  all  sorts  of  devils,  even  those 
whose  hold  of  their  victims  was  most  obstinate,  viz.  by  faith 
and  prayer.'  So  He  continued  laboring  in  helping  the 
miserable  and  instructing  the  ignorant,  till  the  hour  came 
when  He  could  truly  say,  "  It  is  finished." 

'  Matt.  xvii.  19-21;  Mark  ix.  28,29  Vet  21  in  Matthew  is  not  genuine,  being  bor- 
rowed by  copyists  Ironi  Mark.  In  Mark  ix.  29  the  true  text  is,  "  This  kind  can  come 
forth  by  nothiug  but  by  prayer."  The  addition,  xal  vijcrTeia,  "and  fasting,"  is  a  gloss, 
due  to  the  ascetic  spirit  which  early  crept  into  the  church. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

TRAINING   IN   TEMPER ;    OR,    DISCOURSE   ON   HUMILITY. 

Section  I.  —  As  this  Little  Child  ! 

Matt,  xviii.  1-14  ;  Mark  ix.  23-37}  42-50  ;  Luke  ix.  46-48. 

From  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  Jesus  and  the  twelve 
returned  through  GaUlee  to  Capernaum.  On  this  homeward 
journey  the  Master  and  His  disciples  were  in  very  different 
moods  of  mind.  He  sadly  mused  on  His  cross  ;  they  vainly 
dreamed  of  places  of  distinction  in  the  approaching  king- 
dom. The  diversity  of  spirit  revealed  itself  in  a  corre- 
sponding diversity  of  conduct.  Jesus  for  the  second  time 
began  to  speak  on  the  way  of  His  coming  sufferings,  telling 
His  followers  how  the  Son  of  man  should  be  betrayed  into 
the  hands  of  men,  and  how  they  should  kill  Him,  and  how 
the  third  day  He  should  be  raised  again.'  The  twelve,  on  the 
other  hand,  began  as  they  journeyed  along  to  dispute  among 
themselves  who  should  be  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.^  Strange,  humiliating  contrast  exhibited  again  and 
again  in  the  evangelic  history ;  jealous,  angry  altercations 
respecting  rank  and  precedence,  on  the  part  of  the  disciples, 
following  new  communications  respecting  His  passion  on 
the  part  of  their  Lord,  as  comic  follows  tragic  in  a  dramatic 
representation. 

This  unseemly  and  unseasonable  dispute  shows  clearly 
what  need  there  was  for  that  injunction  appended  to  the 
voice  from  heaven,  "  Hear  Him  ; "  and  how  far  the  disciples 
were  as  yet  from  complying  therewith.  They  heard  Jesus 
only  when  He  spake  things  agreeable.  They  listened  with 
pleasure  when  He  assured  them  that  ere  long  they  should 
see  the  Son  of  man  come  in  His  kingdom ;  they  were  deaf 

*  Matt.  xvii.  22,  23;  Mark  ix.  30-32;  Luke  ix.  44,  45.  *  Mark  ix.  33. 

199 


200  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

to  all  He  said  concerning  the  suffering  which  must  precede 
the  glory.  They  forgot  the  cross,  after  a  momentary  fit  of 
sorrow  when  their  Lord  referred  to  it,  and  betook  themselves 
to  dreaming  of  the  crown  ;  as  a  child  forgets  the  death  of 
a  parent,  and  returns  to  its  play.  "  How  great,"  thought 
they,  "shall  we  all  be  when  the  kingdom  comes!"  Then 
by  an  easy  transition  they  passed  from  idle  dreams  of  the 
common  glory  to  idle  disputes  as  to  who  should  have  the 
largest  share  therein;  for  vanity  and  jealousy  lie  very  near 
each  other.  "  Shall  we  all  be  equally  distinguished  in  the 
kingdom,  or  shall  one  be  higher  than  another }  Does 
the  favor  shown  to  Peter,  James,  and  John,  in  selecting 
them  to  be  eye-witnesses  of  the  prefigurement  of  the  coming 
glory,  imply  a  corresponding  precedence  in  the  kingdom 
itself }  "  '  The  three  disciples  probably  hoped  it  did  ;  the 
other  disciples  hoped  not,  and  so  the  dispute  began.  It  was 
nothing  that  they  should  all  be  great  together;  the  ques- 
tion of  questions  was,  who  should  be  the  greatest  —  a  question 
hard  to  settle  when  vanity  and  presumption  contend  on  one 
side,  and  jealousy  and  envy  on  the  other. 

Arrived  at  Capernaum,  Jesus  took  an  early  opportunity 
of  adverting  to  the  dispute  in  which  His  disciples  had  been 
engaged,  and  made  it  the  occasion  of  delivering  a  memorable 
discourse  on  humility  and  kindred  topics,  designed  to  serve 
the  purpose  of  disciplining  their  temper  and  will.  The  task 
to  which  He  now  addressed  Himself  was  at  once  the  most 
formidable  and  the  most  needful  He  had  as  yet  undertaken 
in  connection  with  the  training  of  the  twelve.  Most  formid- 
able, for  nothing  is  harder  than  to  train  the  human  will  into 
loyal  subjection  to  universal  principles,  to  bring  men  to 
recognize  the  claims  of  the  law  of  love  in  their  mutual 
relations,  to  expel  pride,  ambition,  vainglory,  and  jealousy, 
and  envy  from  the  hearts  even  of  the  good.  Men  may 
have  made  great  progress  in  the  art  of  prayer,  in  religious 
liberty,  in  Christian  activity,  may  have  shown  themselves 
faithful  in  times  of  temptation,  and  apt  scholars  in  Christian 
doctrine,  and  yet  prove  signally  defective  in  temper  :  self- 

'  The  three  disciples  were  forbidden  to  tell  any  man  what  they  had  seen  on  the  holy 
mount.  The  prohibition  was  probably  not  meant  to  refer  to  their  brethren.  Even  if  it 
did,  they  must  have  found  it  very  hard  to  keep  silent  about  such  a  wondrous  scene. 


Training  in   Temper.  201 

willed,  self-seeking,  having  an  eye  to  their  own  glory,  even 
when  seeking  to  glorify  God.  Most  needful,  for  what  good 
could  these  disciples  do  as  ministers  of  the  kingdom  so  long 
as  their  main  concern  was  about  their  own  place  therein  ? 
Men  full  of  ambitious  passions  and  jealous  of  each  other 
could  only  quarrel  among  themselves,  bring  the  cause  they 
sought  to  promote  into  contempt,  and  breed  all  around  them 
confusion  and  every  evil  work.  No  wonder  then  that  Jesus 
from  this  time  forth  devoted  Himself  with  peculiar  earnest- 
ness to  the  work  of  casting  out  from  His  disciples  the  devil 
of  self-will,  and  imparting  to  them  as  a  salt  His  own  spirit 
of  meekness,  humility,  and  charity.  He  knew  how  much 
depended  on  His  success  in  this  effort  to  salt  the  future 
apostles,  to  use  His  own  strong  figure,'  and  the  whole  tone 
and  substance  of  the  discourse  before  us  reveal  the  depth 
of  His  anxiety.  Specially  significant  in  this  respect  is  the 
opening  part  in  which  He  makes  use  of  a  child  present  in 
the  chamber  as  the  vehicle  of  instruction  ;  so,  out  of  the 
mouth  of  a  babe  and  suckling,  perfecting  the  praise  of  a 
lowly  mind.  Sitting  in  the  midst  of  ambitious  disciples 
with  the  little  one  in  His  arms  for  a  text.  He  who  is  the 
greatest  in  the  kingdom  proceeds  to  set  forth  truths  mortify- 
ing to  the  spirit  of  pride,  but  sweeter  than  honey  to  the 
taste  of  all  renewed  souls. 

The  first  lesson  taught  is  this  :  To  be  great  in  the  king- 
dom, yea,  to  gain  admission  into  it  at  all,  it  is  necessary  to 
become  like  a  little  child.  "Except  ye  be  converted,  and 
become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  Whosoever,  therefore,  shall  humble  himself 
as  this  little  child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  The  feature  of  child-nature  which  forms  the 
special  point  of  comparison  is  its  unpretentiousness.  Early 
childhood  knows  nothing  of  those  distinctions  of  rank  which 
are  the  offspring  of  human  pride,  and  the  prizes  coveted  by 
human  ambition.  A  king's  child  will  play  without  scruple 
with  a  beggar's,  thereby  unconsciously  asserting  the  insig- 
nificance of  the  things  in  which  men  differ,  compared  with 

'  Mark  ix.  49.  The  words  "  and  every  sacrifice  shall  be  salted  with  salt,"  are  a  gloss 
from  Lev.  ii.  13,  introduced  to  explain  the  saying.  For  remarks  on  this  passage  see  note 
at  close  of  Section  III.  of  the  present  chapter. 


202  The  Trainifig  of  the  Twelve. 

the  things  that  are  common  to  all.  What  children  are 
unconsciously,  that  Jesus  requires  His  disciples  to  be  volun- 
tarily and  deliberately.  They  are  not  to  be  pretentious  and 
ambitious,  like  the  grown  children  of  the  world,  but  meek 
and  lowly  of  heart ;  disregarding  rank  and  distinctions, 
thinking  not  of  their  place  in  the  kingdom,  but  giving  them- 
selves up  in  simplicity  of  spirit  to  the  service  of  the  King. 
In  this  sense,  the  greatest  one  in  the  kingdom,  the  King  Him- 
self, was  the  humblest  of  men.  Of  humility  in  the  form  of 
self-depreciation  or  self-humiliation  on  account  of  sin  Jesus 
could  know  nothing,  for  there  was  no  defect  or  fault  in  His 
character.  But  of  the  humility  which  consists  in  self-forget- 
fulness  He  was  the  perfect  pattern.  We  cannot  say  that 
He  thought  little  of  Himself,  but  we  may  say  that  He 
thought  not  of  Himself  at  all :  He  thought  only  of  the 
Father's  glory  and  of  man's  good.  Considerations  of 
personal  aggrandizement  had  no  place  among  His  motives. 
He  shrank  with  holy  abhorrence  from  all  who  were  influenced 
by  such  considerations  ;  no  character  appearing  so  utterly 
detestable  in  His  eye  as  that  of  the  Pharisee,  whose  religion 
was  a  theatrical  exhibition,  always  presupposing  the  presence 
of  spectators,  and  who  loved  the  uppermost  rooms  at  feasts 
and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  to  be  called  of 
men  Rabbi,  Rabbi.  For  Himself  He  neither  desired  nor 
received  honor  from  men.  He  came  not  to  be  ministered 
unto,  but  to  minister  :  He,  the  greatest,  humbled  Himself 
to  be  the  least  —  to  be  a  child  born  in  a  stable  and  laid  in  a 
manger ;  to  be  a  man  of  sorrow,  lightly  esteemed  by  the 
world ;  yea,  to  be  nailed  to  a  cross.  By  such  wondrous 
self-humiliation  He  showed  His  divine  greatness. 

The  higher  we  rise  in  the  kingdom  the  more  we  shall  be 
like  Jesus  in  this  humbling  of  Himself.  Childlikeness  such 
as  He  exhibited  is  an  invariable  characteristic  of  spiritual 
advancement,  even  as  its  absence  is  the  mark  of  moral 
littleness.  The  little  man,  even  when  well-intentioned,  is 
ever  consequential  and  scheming,  —  ever  thinking  of  himself, 
his  honor,  dignity,  reputation,  even  when  professedly  doing 
good.  He  always  studies  to  glorify  God  in  a  way  that 
shall  at  the  same  time  glorify  himself.  Frequently  above 
the   love   of   gain,  he  is   never   above   the  feeling   of   self- 


Training  in   Temper,  203 

importance.  The  great  ones  in  the  kingdom,  on  the  other 
hand,  throw  themselves  with  such  unreservedness  into 
the  work  to  which  they  are  called,  that  they  have  neither 
time  nor  inclination  to  inquire  what  place  they  shall  obtain 
in  this  world  or  the  next.  Leaving  consequences  to  the 
great  Governor  and  Lord,  and  forgetful  of  self-interest,  they 
give  their  whole  soul  to  their  appointed  task  ;  content  to  fill 
a  little  space  or  a  large  one,  as  God  shall  appoint,  if  only 
He  be  glorified. 

This  is  the  true  road  to  a  high  place  in  the  eternal  king- 
dom. For  be  it  observed,  Jesus  did  not  summarily  dismiss 
the  question,  who  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom,  by  negativing 
the  existence  of  distinctions  therein.  He  said  not  on  this 
occasion,  He  said  not  on  any  other,  "  It  is  needless  to  ask 
who  is  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  :  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  a  distinction  of  greater  and  less  there."  On  the  contrary, 
it  is  implied  here,  and  it  is  asserted  elsewhere,  that  there 
is  such  a  thing.  According  to  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  the 
supernal  commonwealth  has  no  affinity  with  jealous  radical- 
ism, which  demands  that  all  shall  be  equal.  There  are 
grades  of  distinction  there  as  well  as  in  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world.  The  difference  between  the  divine  kingdom  and  all 
others  lies  in  the  principle  on  which  promotion  proceeds. 
Here  the  proud  and  the  ambitious  gain  the  post  of  honor ; 
there  honors  are  conferred  on  the  humble  and  the  self- 
forgetful.  He  that  on  earth  was  willing  to  be  the  least  in 
lowly  love  will  be  the  great  one  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

The  next  lesson  Jesus  taught  His  disciples  was  the  duty 
of  receiving  little  ones  ;  that  is,  not  merely  children  in  the 
literal  sense,  but  all  that  a  child  represents  —  the  weak, 
the  insignificant,  the  helpless.  The  child  which  He  held  in 
His  arms  having  served  as  a  type  of  the  humble  in  spirit, 
next  became  a  type  of  the  humble  in  station,  influence,  and 
importance  ;  and  having  been  presented  to  the  disciples  in 
the  former  capacity  as  an  object  of  imitation,  was  com- 
mended to  them  in  the  latter  as  an  object  of  kind  treatment. 
They  were  to  receive  the  little  ones  graciously  and  lovingly, 
careful  not  to  offend  them  by  harsh,  heartless,  contemptuous 
conduct.  All  such  kindness  He,  Jesus,  would  receive  as 
done  to  Himself. 


204  The   Training  of  the   Twelve. 

This  transition  of  thought  from  being  like  a  child  to 
receiving  all  that  of  which  childhood  in  its  weakness  is  the 
emblem,  was  perfectly  natural ;  for  there  is  a  close  connec- 
tion between  the  selfish  struggle  to  be  great  and  an  offensive 
mode  of  acting  towards  the  little.  Harshness  and  contempt- 
uousness  are  vices  inseparable  from  an  ambitious  spirit.  An 
ambitious  man  is  not,  indeed,  necessarily  cruel  in  his  dis- 
position, and  capable  of  cherishing  heartless  designs  in  cold 
blood.  At  times,  when  the  demon  that  possesses  him  is 
quiescent,  the  idea  of  hurting  a  child,  or  any  thing  that  a 
child  represents,  may  appear  to  him  revolting ;  and  he  might 
resent  the  imputation  of  any  such  design,  or  even  a  hint 
at  the  possibility  of  his  harboring  it,  as  a  wanton  insult. 
"  Is  thy  servant  a  dog  .-*  "  asked  Hazael  indignantly  at  Elisha, 
when  the  prophet  described  to  him  his  own  future  self, 
setting  the  strongholds  of  Israel  on  fire,  slaying  their  young 
men  with  the  sword,  dashing  their  children  to  the  earth,  and 
ripping  up  their  women  with  child.  At  the  moment  his 
horror  of  these  crimes  was  quite  sincere,  and  yet  he  was 
guilty  of  them  all.  The  prophet  rightly  divined  his  char- 
acter, and  read  his  future  career  of  splendid  wickedness  in 
the  light  of  it.  He  saw  that  he  was  ambitious,  and  all  the 
rest  followed  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  king  of  Syria, 
his  master,  about  whose  recovery  he  affected  solicitude,  he 
should  first  put  to  death  ;  and  once  on  the  throne,  the  same 
ambition  that  made  him  a  murderer  would  goad  him  on  to 
schemes  of  conquest,  in  the  prosecution  of  which  he  should 
perpetrate  all  the  barbarous  cruelties  in  which  Oriental 
tyrants  seemed  to  take  fiendish  delight. 

The  crimes  of  ambition,  and  the  lamentations  with  which 
it  has  filled  the  earth,  are  a  moral  commonplace.  Full  well 
aware  of  the  fact,  Jesus  exclaimed,  as  the  havoc  already 
wrought  and  yet  to  be  wrought  by  the  lust  for  place  and 
power  rose  in  vision  before  His  eye:  "Woe  to  the  world 
because  of  offences  ! "  Woe  indeed,  but  not  merely  to  the 
wrong-sufferer ;  the  greater  woe  is  reserved  for  the  wrong- 
doer. So  Jesus  taught  His  disciples,  when  He  added  :  "But 
woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offence  cometh  !  "  Nor  did  He 
leave  His  hearers  in  the  dark  as  to  the  nature  of  the  offender's 
doom.     "Whoso,"    He   declared,  in   language   which   came 


Training  in   Temper.  205 

forth  from  His  lips  like  a  flame  of  righteous  indignation  at 
thought  of  the  wrongs  inflicted  on  the  weak  and  helpless,  — 
"  Whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones  which  believe 
in  me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a  mill-stone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck,  and  that  he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of 
the  sea."  "It  were  better  for  him"  —  or,  it  suits  him,  it  is 
what  he  deserves  ;  and  it  is  implied,  though  not  expressed, 
that  it  is  what  he  gets  when  divine  vengeance  at  length  over- 
takes him.  The  mill-stone  is  no  idle  figure  of  speech,  but 
an  appropriate  emblem  of  the  ultimate  doom  of  the  proud. 
He  who  zvill  mount  to  the  highest  place,  regardless  of  the 
injuries  he  may  inflict  on  little  ones,  shall  be  cast  down, 
not  to  earth  merely,  but  to  the  very  lowest  depths  of  the 
ocean,  to  the  very  abyss  of  hell,  with  a  heavy  weight  of 
curses  suspended  on  his  neck  to  sink  him  down,  and  keep 
him  down,  so  that  he  shall  rise  no  more.'  "They  sank  as 
lead  in  the  mighty  waters  !  " 

Such  being  the  awful  doom  of  selfish  ambition,  it  were 
wise  in  the  high-minded  to  fear,  and  to  anticipate  God's 
judgment  by  judging  themselves.  This  Jesus  counselled 
His  disciples  to  do  by  repeating  a  stern  saying  uttered  once 
before  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  concerning  the  cutting 
off  offending  members  of  the  body.^  At  first  view  that 
saying  appears  irrelevant  here,  because  the  subject  of 
discourse  is  offences  against  others,  not  offences  against 
one's  self.  But  its  relevancy  becomes  evident  when  we 
consider  that  all  offences  against  a  brother  are  offences 
against  ourselves.  That  is  the  very  point  Christ  wishes  to 
impress  on  His  disciples.  He  would  have  them  understand 
that  self-interest  dictates  scrupulous  care  in  avoiding  offences 
to  the  little  ones.  "Rather  than  harm  one  of  these,"  says 
the  great  Teacher  in  effect,  "  by  hand,  foot,  eye,  or  tongue, 
have  recourse  to  self-mutilation  ;  for  he  that  sinneth  against 
even  the  least  in  the  kingdom,  sinneth  also  against  his  own 
soul." 

'  /auAo?  orifcd?,  stone  of  a  mill  turned  by  an  ass,  larger  than  one  belonging  to  a  hand- 
mill,  selected  to  make  sure  that  the  wicked  shall  sink  to  rise  no  more.  How  Christ's 
words  fulfil  themselves  from  age  to  age  !  Think  of  the  "  Bulgarian  atrocities  "  of  1876, 
the  execrations  they  awakened  in  Britain,  and  the  all  too  probable  fate  which  awaits 
Turkey  in  the  near  future  ! 

2  Matt,  xviii.  8,  9 ;  compare  v,  29,  30. 


2o6  The   Training  of  the   Twelve. 

One  thing  more  Jesus  taught  His  disciples  while  He  held 
the  child  in  His  arms,  viz.  that  those  who  injured  or  despised 
little  ones  were  entirely  out  of  harmony  with  the  mind  of 
Heaven.  "Take  heed,"  said  He,  "that  ye  despise  not  one 
of  these  little  ones  ;  "  and  then  He  proceeded  to  enforce  the 
warning  by  drawing  aside  the  veil,  and  showing  them  a 
momentary  glimpse  of  that  very  celestial  kingdom  in  which 
they  were  all  so  desirous  to  have  prominence.  "  Lo,  there  ! 
see  those  angels  standing  before  the  throne  of  God  —  these 
be  ministering  spirits  to  the  little  ones  !  And  lo,  here  am  I, 
the  Son  of  God,  come  all  the  way  from  heaven  to  save  them  ! 
And  behold  how  the  face  of  the  Father  in  heaven  smiles  on 
the  angels  and  on  me  because  we  take  such  loving  interest 
in  them  !  "  '  How  eloquent  the  argument !  how  powerful  the 
appeal!  "The  inhabitants  of  heaven,"  such  is  its  drift,  "are 
loving  and  humble ;  ye  are  selfish  and  proud.  What  hope 
can  ye  cherish  of  admission  into  a  kingdom,  the  spirit  of 
which  is  so  utterly  diverse  from  that  by  which  ye  are 
animated  .''  Nay,  are  ye  not  ashamed  of  yourselves  when  ye 
witness  this  glaring  contrast  between  the  lowliness  of  the 
celestials  and  the  pride  and  pretensions  of  puny  men  }  Put 
away,  henceforth  and  forever,  vain,  ambitious  thoughts,  and 
let  the  meek  and  gentle  spirit  of  Heaven  get  possession  of 
your  hearts." 

In  the  beautiful  picture  of  the  upper  world  one  thing  is 
specially  noteworthy,  viz.  the  introduction  by  Jesus  of  a 
reference  to  His  work  as  the  Saviour  of  the  lost,  into  an 
argument  designed  to  enforce  care  for  the  little  ones.^  The 
reference  is  not  an  irrelevance ;  it  is  of  the  nature  of  an 
argument  a  fortiori.     If  the  Son  of  man  cared  for  the  lost, 

*  Matt,  xviii.  10-14. 

2  Matt,  xviii.  11  is  not  found  in  the  best  critical  authorities,  and  is  regarded  by  scholars 
as  interpolated  from  Luke  xix.  10 ;  and  the  parable  of  the  good  shepherd  is  also  regarded 
by  many  as  foreign  to  the  connection  of  thought.  As  to  the  former  point,  we  agree  with 
Alford  in  thinking  that  ver.  11  cannot  be  interpolated  from  Luke,  "  ist,  from  the  absence 
of  any  sufficient  reason  (apparent  on  the  surface)  for  insertion  ;  2d,  from  the  nearly  unani- 
mous omission  of  Luke's  ^7jTv?(rat  xai,  which  would  have  exactly  suited  the  ^tjrei  of  ver. 
12."  That  it  should  form  a  part  of  the  text  in  a  critical  edition  of  the  Greek  Testament  we 
do  not  assert,  but  it  is  quite  credible  to  us  that  Christ  uttered  such  a  sentiment  on  this 
occasion.  The  thought  is  germain  to  the  connection,  however  awkwardly  it  may  come  in 
in  the  narrative.  For  a  similar  reason,  we  think  it  quite  likely  that  the  i^arable  of  tlie  good 
shepherd  was  spoken  at  this  time.  It  was  just  as  much  needed  to  rebuke  the  ambitious 
spirit  of  disciples  as  to  ward  off  the  assaults  of  censorious  Pharisees. 


Trainmg  in   Temper.  207 

the  low,  the  morally  degraded,  how  much  more  will  He  care 
for  those  who  are  merely  little  !  It  is  a  far  greater  effort  of 
love  to  seek  the  salvation  of  the  wicked  than  to  interest 
one's  self  in  the  weak  ;  and  He  who  did  the  one  will  cer- 
tainly not  fail  to  do  the  other.  In  adverting  to  His  love  as 
the  Saviour  of  the  sinful,  as  set  forth  in  the  parable  of  the 
good  shepherd  going  after  the  straying  sheep,'  Jesus  further 
directed  the  attention  of  His  disciples  to  the  sublimest  example 
of  humility.  For  that  love  shows  that  there  was  not  only  no 
pride  of  greatness  in  the  Son  of  God,  but  also  no  pride 
of  holiness.  He  could  not  only  condescend  to  men  of 
humble  estate,  but  could  even  become  the  brother  of  the  vile  : 
one  with  them  in  sympathy  and  lot,  that  they  might  become 
one  with  Him  in  privilege  and  character.  Once  more,  in 
making  reference  to  His  own  love  as  the  Saviour,  Jesus 
pointed  out  to  His  disciples  the  true  source  of  that  charity 
which  careth  for  the  weak  and  despiseth  not  the  little.  No 
one  who  rightly  appreciated  His  love  could  deliberately  offend 
or  heartlessly  contemn  any  brother,  however  insignificant, 
who  had  a  place  in  His  Saviour-sympathies.  The  charity  of 
the  Son  of  man,  in  the  eyes  of  all  true  disciples,  surrounds 
with  a  halo  of  sacredness  the  meanest  and  vilest  of  the  human 
race. 

Section  II.  —  Church  Discipline. 

Matt,  xviii.  15-20. 

Having  duly  cautioned  His  hearers  against  offending  the 
little  ones,  Jesus  proceeded  (according  to  the  account  of  His 
words  in  the  Gospel  of  Matthew)  to  tell  them  how  to  act 
when  they  were  not  the  givers,  but  the  receivers  or  the 
judges,  of  offences.  In  this  part  of  His  discourse  He  had 
in  view  the  future  rather  than  the  present.  Contemplating 
the  time  when  the  kingdom  —  that  is,  the  church  —  should 
be  in  actual  existence  as  an  organized  community,  with  the 
twelve  exercising  in  it  authority  as  apostles,  He  gives  direc- 
tions for  the  exercise  of  discipline,  in  order  to  the  purity  and 
wellbeing  of   the  Christian  brotherhood ;  ^    confers    on    the 

'  Matt,  xviii.  12,  13. 

^  Matt,  xviii.  15-17.  Keim  views  the  whole  discourse  (which  he  regards  as  substan- 
tially one  continuous  utterance  as  recorded  in  Matt,  xviii.  with  the  supplement  in  the 


2o8  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

twelve  collectively  what  He  had  already  granted  to  Peter 
singly  —  the  power  to  bind  and  loose,  that  is,  to  inflict  and 
remove  church  censures;'  and  makes  a  most  encouraging 
promise  of  His  own  spiritual  presence,  and  of  prevailing 
power  with  His  heavenly  Father  in  prayer,  to  all  assembled 
in  His  name,  and  agreeing  together  in  the  objects  of  their 
desires.^  His  aim  throughout  is  to  insure  beforehand  that 
the  community  to  be  called  after  His  name  shall  be  indeed  a 
holy,  loving,  united  society. 

The  rules  here  laid  down  for  the  guidance  of  the  apostles 
in  dealing  with  offenders,  though  simple  and  plain,  have 
given  rise  to  much  debate  among  religious  controversialists 
interested  in  the  upholding  of  diverse  theories  of  church 
government.^  Of  these  ecclesiastical  disputes  we  shall  say 
nothing  here ;  nor  do  we  deem  it  needful  to  offer  any  exposi- 
tory comments  on  our  Lord's  words,  save  a  sentence  of  expla- 
nation on  the  phrase  employed  by  Him  to  describe  the  state 
of  excommunication  :  "  Let  him  "  (that  is,  the  impenitent 
brother  about  to  be  cast  out  of  the  church)  "  be  unto  thee  as 
an  heathen  man  and  a  publican."  These  words,  luminous 
without  doubt  at  the  time  they  were  spoken,  are  not  quite  so 
clear  to  us  now ;  but  yet  their  meaning  in  the  main  is  suffi- 
ciently plain.  The  idea  is,  that  the  persistently  impenitent 
offender  is  to  become  at  length  to  the  person  he  has  offended, 
and  to  the  whole  church,  one  with  whom  is  to  be  held 
no  religious,  and  as  little  as  possible  social  fellowship.  The 
religious  aspect  of  excommunication  is  pointed  at  by  the 
expression  "  as  an  heathen  man,"  and  the  social  side  of  it  is 
expressed  in  the  second  clause  of  the  sentence,  "  and  a 
publican."  Heathens  were  excluded  from  the  temple,  and 
had  no  part  in  Jewish  religious  rites.  Publicans  were  not 
excluded  from  the  temple,  so  far  as  we  know ;  but  they  were 
regarded  as  social  pariahs  by  all  Jews  affecting  patriotism  and 

other  evangelists)  as  meant  by  Jesus  to  serve  the  purpose  of  organizing  the  disciples 
into  a  religious  community  (Gemeinde)  in  view  of  His  probable  death.  This  piece  of 
work  Keim  calls  Christ's  last  Galilean  task,  and  he  represents  it  as  in  accordance  with 
Christ's  wisdom  and  love  that  He  attended  to  the  duty  then.  Vide  Geschichte  Jesu, 
ii.  605. 

'  Ver.  18. 

^  Vers.  19,  20. 

3  Persons  curious  concerning  these  controversies  will  find  abundant  information  in 
Gillespie's  Aaron's  Rod  Blossoming. 


Training  in   Temper.  209 

religious  strictness.  This  indiscriminate  dislike  of  the  whole 
class  was  not  justifiable,  nor  is  any  approval  of  it  implied  here. 
Jesus  refers  to  it  simply  as  a  familiar  matter  of  fact,  which 
conveniently  and  clearly  conveyed  His  meaning  to  the  effect : 
Let  the  impenitent  offender  be  to  you  what  heathens  are  to 
all  Jews  by  law  —  persons  with  whom  to  hold  no  religious 
fellowship  ;  and  what  publicans  are  to  Pharisees  by  inveterate 
prejudice  —  persons  to  be  excluded  from  all  but  merely 
unavoidable  social  intercourse." 

Whatever  obscurity  may  attach  to  the  letter  of  the  rules 
for  the  management  of  discipline,  there  can  be  no  doubt  at 
all  as  to  the  loving,  holy  spirit  which  pervades  them. 

The  spirit  of  love  appears  in  the  conception  of  the  church 
which  underlies  these  rules.  The  church  is  viewed  as  a 
commonwealth,  in  which  the  concern  of  one  is  the  concern 
of  all,  and  vice  versa.  Hence  Jesus  does  not  specify  the 
class  of  offences  He  intends,  whether  private  and  personal 
ones,  or  such  as  are  of  the  nature  of  scandals,  that  is, 
offences  against  the  church  as  a  whole.  On  His  idea  of 
a  church  such  explanations  were  unnecessary,  because  the 
distinction  alluded  to  in  great  part  ceases  to  exist.  An 
offence  against  the  conscience  of  the  whole  community  is 
an  offence  against  each  individual  member,  because  he  is 
jealous  for  the  honor  of  the  body  of  believers  ;  and  on  the 
other  hand,  an  offence  which  is  in  the  first  place  private  and 
persona],  becomes  one  in  which  all  are  concerned  so  soon  as 
the  offended  party  has  failed  to  bring  His  brother  to  confes- 
sion and  reconciliation.  A  chronic  alienation  between  two 
Christian  brethren  will  be  regarded,  in  a  church  after 
Christ's  mind,  as  a  scandal  not  to  be  tolerated,  because 
fraught  with  deadly  harm  to  the  spiritual  life  of  all. 

Very  congenial  also  to  the  spirit  of  charity  is  the  order 
of  proceeding  indicated  in  the  directions  given  by  Jesus. 
First,  strictly  private  dealing  on  the  part  of  the  offended 
with  his  offending  brother  is  prescribed  ;  then,  after  such 
dealing  has  been  fairly  tried  and  has  failed,  but  not  till  then, 
third  parties  are  to  be  brought  in  as  witnesses  and  assistants 
in  the  work  of  reconciliation  ;  and  finally,  and  only  as  a 
last  resource,  the  subject  of  quarrel  is  to  be  made  public, 
and  brought  before  the  whole  church.     This  method  of  pro- 


2IO  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

cedure  is  obviously  most  considerate  as  towards  the  offender. 
It  makes  confession  as  easy  to  him  as  possible  by  sparing 
him  the  shame  of  exposure.  It  is  also  a  method  which 
cannot  be  worked  out  without  the  purest  and  holiest  motives 
on  the  part  of  him  who  seeks  redress.  It  leaves  no  room 
for  the  reckless  talkativeness  of  the  scandalmonger,  who 
loves  to  divulge  evil  news,  and  speaks  to  everybody  of  a 
brother's  faults  rather  than  to  the  brother  himself.  It 
puts  a  bridle  on  the  passion  of  resentment,  by  compelling 
the  offended  one  to  go  through  a  patient  course  of  dealing 
with  his  brother  before  he  arrive  at  the  sad  issue  at  which 
anger  jumps  at  once,  viz.  total  estrangement.  It  gives  no 
encouragement  to  the  officious  and  over-zealous,  who  make 
themselves  busy  in  ferreting  out  offences  ;  for  the  way  of 
such  is  not  to  begin  with  the  offender,  and  then  go  to  the 
church,  but  to  go  direct  to  the  church  with  severe  charges, 
based  probably  on  hearsay  information  gained  by  dishon- 
orable means. 

Characteristic  of  the  loving  spirit  of  Jesus,  the  Head  of 
the  church,  is  the  horror  with  which  He  contemplates,  and 
would  have  His  disciples  contemplate,  the  possibility  of  any 
one,  once  a  brother,  becoming  to  his  brethren  as  a  heathen 
or  a  publican.  This  appears  in  His  insisting  that  no  expe- 
dient shall  be  left  untried  to  avert  the  sad  catastrophe.  How 
unlike  in  this  respect  is  His  mind  to  that  of  the  world, 
v/hich  can  with  perfect  equanimity  allow  vast  multitudes  of 
fellow-men  to  be  what  heathens  were  to  Jews,  and  publicans 
to  Pharisees  —  persons  excluded  from  all  kindly  communion  ! 
Nay,  may  we  not  say,  how  unlike  the  mind  of  Jesus  in  this 
matter  to  that  of  many  even  in  the  church,  who  treat 
brethren  in  the  same  outward  fellowship  with  most  perfect 
indifference,  and  have  become  so  habituated  to  the  evil 
practice,  that  they  regard  it  without  compunction  as  a  quite 
natural  and  right  state  of  things  ! 

Such  heartless  indifferentism  implies  a  very  different  ideal 
of  the  church  from  that  cherished  by  its  Founder.  Men 
who  do  not  regard  ecclesiastical  fellowship  as  imposing  any 
obligation  to  love  their  Christian  brethren,  think,  consciously 
or  unconsciously,  of  the  church  as  if  it  were  a  hotel,  where 
all  kinds  of  people  meet  for  a  short  space,  sit  down  together 


Training  in   Temper.  2 1 1 

at  the  same  table,  then  part,  neither  knowing  nor  caring 
any  thing  about  each  other ;  while,  in  truth,  it  is  rather  a 
family,  whose  members  are  all  brethren,  bound  to  love  each 
other  with  pure  heart  fervently.  Of  course  this  hotel 
theory  involves  as  a  necessary  consequence  the  disuse  of 
discipline.  For,  strange  as  the  idea  may  seem  to  many, 
the  law  of  love  is  the  basis  of  church  discipline.  It  is 
because  I  am  bound  to  take  every  member  of  the  church 
to  my  arms  as  a  brother,  that  I  am  not  only  entitled,  but 
bound,  to  be  earnestly  concerned  about  his  behavior.  If  a 
brother  in  Christ,  according  to  ecclesiastical  standing,  may 
say  to  me,  "You  must  love  me  with  all  your  heart,"  I  am 
entitled  to  say  in  reply,  "  I  acknowledge  the  obligation  in  the 
abstract,  but  I  demand  of  you  in  turn  that  you  shall  be  such 
that  I  can  love  you  as  a  Christian,  however  weak  and  imper- 
fect ;  and  I  feel  it  to  be  both  my  right  and  my  duty  to  do  all 
I  can  to  make  you  worthy  of  such  brotherly  regard,  by  plain 
dealing  with  you  anent  your  offences.  I  am  willing  to  love 
you,  but  I  cannot,  I  dare  not,  be  on  friendly  terms  with  your 
sins ;  and  if  you  refuse  to  part  with  these,  and  virtually 
require  me  to  be  a  partaker  in  them  by  connivance,  then  our 
brotherhood  is  at  an  end,  and  I  am  free  from  my  obligations." 
To  such  a  language  and  such  a  style  of  thought  the  patron 
of  the  hotel  theory  of  church  fellowship  is  an  utter  stranger. 
Disclaiming  the  obligation  to  love  his  brethren,  he  at  the 
same  time  renounces  the  right  to  insist  on  Christian  virtue 
as  an  indispensable  attribute  of  church  membership,  and 
declines  to  trouble  himself  about  the  behavior  of  any  mem- 
ber, except  in  so  far  as  it  may  affect  himself  personally.  All 
may  think  and  act  as  they  please  —  be  infidels  or  believers, 
sons  of  God  or  sons  of  Belial :  it  is  all  one  to  him. 

Holy  severity  finds  a  place  in  these  directions,  as  well 
as  tender,  considerate  love.  Jesus  solemnly  sanctions  the 
excommunication  of  an  impenitent  offender.  "  Let  him," 
saith  He,  with  the  tone  of  a  judge  pronouncing  sentence  of 
death,  "be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican." 
Then,  to  invest  church  censures  righteously  administered 
with  all  possible  solemnity  and  authority,  He  proceeds  to 
declare  that  they  carry  with  them  eternal  consequences ; 
adding  in  His    most  emphatic    manner   the    awful  words  — 


2 1 2  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

awful  both  to  the  sinner  cast  out  and  to  those  who  are 
responsible  for  his  ejection  :  "Verily  I  say  unto  you,  What- 
soever ye  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven ;  and 
whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 
The  words  may  be  regarded  in  one  sense  as  a  caution  to 
ecclesiastical  rulers  to  beware  how  they  use  a  power  of  so 
tremendous  a  character ;  but  they  also  plainly  show  that 
Christ  desired  His  church  on  earth,  as  nearly  as  possible,  to 
resemble  the  church  in  heaven  :  to  be  holy  in  her  member- 
ship, and  not  an  indiscriminate  congregation  of  righteous 
and  unrighteous  men,  of  believers  and  infidels,  of  Christians 
and  reprobates ;  and  for  that  end  committed  the  power  of 
the  keys  to  those  who  bear  office  in  His  house,  authorizing 
them  to  deliver  over  to  Satan's  thrall  the  proud,  stubborn 
sinner  who  refuses  to  be  corrected,  and  to  give  satisfaction 
to  the  aggrieved  consciences  of  his  brethren. 

Such  rigor,  pitiless  in  appearance,  is  really  merciful  to  all 
parties.  It  is  merciful  to  the  faithful  members  of  the 
church,  because  it  removes  from  their  midst  a  mortifying 
limb,  whose  presence  imperils  the  life  of  the  whole  body. 
Scandalous  open  sin  cannot  be  tolerated  in  any  society 
without  general  demoralization  ensuing ;  least  of  all  in  the 
church,  which  is  a  society  whose  very  raisoji  d  ' etre  is  the 
culture  of  Christian  virtue.  But  the  apparently  pitiless 
rigor  is  mercy  even  towards  the  unfaithful  who  are  the 
subjects  thereof.  For  to  keep  scandalous  offenders  inside 
the  communion  of  the  church  is  to  do  your  best  to  damn 
their  souls,  and  to  exclude  them  ultimately  from  heaven.  On 
the  other  hand,  to  deliver  them  over  to  Satan  may  be,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  will  be,  but  giving  them  a  foretaste  of  hell 
now  that  they  may  be  saved  from  hell-fire  forever.  It  was 
in  this  hope  that  Paul  insisted  on  the  excommunication  of 
the  incestuous  person  from  the  Corinthian  church,  that  by 
the  castigation  of  his  fleshly  sin  "  his  spirit  might  be  saved 
in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  It  is  this  hope  which 
comforts  those  on  whom  the  disagreeable  task  of  enforcing 
church  censures  falls  in  the  discharge  of  their  painful  duty. 
They  can  cast  forth  evil-doers  from  the  communion  of  saints 
with  less  hesitation,  when  they  know  that  as  "  publicans  and 
sinners "   the   excommunicated  are  nearer  the  kingdom  of 


Training  in   Te7nper.  213 

God  than  they  were  as  church  members,  and  when  they 
consider  that  they  are  still  permitted  to  seek  the  good  of  the 
ungodly,  as  Christ  sought  the  good  of  all  the  outcasts  of  His 
day  ;  that  it  is  still  in  their  power  to  pray  for  them,  and  to 
preach  to  them^  as  they  stand  in  the  outer  court  of  the 
Gentiles,  though  they  may  not  put  into  their  unholy  hands 
the  symbols  of  the  Saviour's  body  and  blood. 

Such  considerations,  indeed,  would  go  far  to  reconcile 
those  who  are  sincerely  concerned  for  the  spiritual  character 
of  the  church,  and  for  the  safety  of  individual  souls,  to  very 
considerable  reductions  of  communion  rolls.  There  cannot 
be  a  doubt  that,  if  church  discipline  were  upheld  with  the 
efficiency  and  vigor  contemplated  by  Christ,  such  reductions 
would  take  place  on  an  extensive  scale.  It  is  indeed  true 
that  the  purging  process  might  be  carried  to  excess,  and 
with  very  injurious  effects.  Tares  might  be  mistaken  for 
wheat,  and  wheat  for  tares.  The  church  might  be  turned 
into  a  society  of  Pharisees,  thanking  God  that  they  were  not 
as  other  men,  or  as  the  poor  publicans  who  stood  without, 
hearing  and  praying,  but  not  communicating  ;  while  among 
those  outside  the  communion  rails  might  be  not  only  the 
unworthy,  but  many  timid  ones  who  dared  not  come  nigh, 
but,  like  the  publican  of  the  parable,  could  only  stand  afar 
off,  crying,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner,"  yet  all  the 
while  were  justified  rather  than  the  others.  A  system 
tending  to  bring  about  such  results  is  one  extreme  to  be 
avoided.  But  there  is  another  yet  more  pernicious  extreme 
still  more  sedulously  to  be  shunned  :  a  careless  laxity,  which 
allows  sheep  and  goats  to  be  huddled  together  in  one  fold, 
the  goats  being  thereby  encouraged  to  deem  themselves 
sheep,  and  deprived  of  the  greatest  benefit  they  can  enjoy 
—  the  privilege  of  being  spoken  to  plainly  as  "  unconverted 
sinners." 

Such  unseemly  mixtures  of  the  godly  and  the  godless  are 
too  common  phenomena  in  these  days.  And  the  reason  is 
not  far  to  seek.  It  is  not  indifference  to  morality,  for  that 
is  not  generally  a  characteristic  of  the  church  in  our  time. 
It  is  the  desire  to  multiply  members.  The  various  religious 
bodies  value  members  still  more  than  morality  or  high-toned 
Christian  virtue,  and  they  fear  lest  by  discipline  they  may 


2  14  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

lose  one  or  two  names  from  their  communion  roll.  The  fear 
is  not  without  justification.  Fugitives  fromi  discipline  are 
always  sure  of  an  open  door  and  a  hearty  welcome  in  some 
quarter.  This  is  one  of  the  many  curses  entailed  upon  us  by 
that  greatest  of  all  scandals,  religious  division.  One  who 
has  become,  or  is  in  danger  of  becoming,  as  a  heathen  man 
and  a  publican  to  one  ecclesiastical  body,  has  a  good  chance 
of  becoming  a  saint  or  an  angel  in  another.  Rival  churches 
play  at  cross  purposes,  one  loosing  when  another  binds ;  so 
doing  their  utmost  to  make  all  spiritual  sentences  null  and 
void,  both  in  earth  and  heaven,  and  to  rob  religion  of  all 
dignity  and  authority.  Well  may  libertines  pray  that  the 
divisions  of  the  church  may  continue,  for  while  these  last 
they  fare  well !  Far  otherwise  did  it  fare  with  the  like  of 
them  in  the  days  when  the  church  was  catholic  and  one ; 
when  sinners  repenting  worked  their  way,  in  the  slow  course 
of  years,  from  the  locus  htgentiuin  outside  the  sanctuary, 
through  the  locus  aiidientiitm  and  the  locus  substratorum  to 
the  locus  fidclium:  in  that  painful  manner  learning  what  an 
evil  and  a  bitter  thing  it  is  to  depart  from  the  living  God.' 

The  promise  made  to  consent  in  prayer  ^  comes  in  appro- 
priately in  a  discourse  delivered  to  disciples  who  had  been 
disputing  who  should  be  the  greatest.  In  this  connection  the 
promise  means  :  "  So  long  as  ye  are  divided  by  dissensions 
and  jealousies,  ye  shall  be  impotent  alike  with  men  and  with 
God  ;  in  your  ecclesiastical  procedure  as  church  rulers,  and 
in  your  supplications  at  the  throne  of  grace.  But  if  ye  be 
united  in  mind  and  heart,  ye  shall  have  power  with  God,  and 
shall  prevail  :  my  Father  will  grant  your  requests,  and  I 
myself  will  be  in  the  midst  of  you." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  assume  any  very  close  connection 
between  this  promise  and  the  subject  of  which  Jesus  had 
been  speaking  just  before.  In  this  familiar  discourse  transi- 
tion is  made  from  one  topic  to  another  in  an  easy  conver- 
sational manner,  care  being  taken  only  that  all  that  is  said 
shall  be  relevant  to  the  general  subject  in  hand.  The  meet- 
ing, supposed  to  be  convened  in  Christ's    name,  need    not 

'  See  Bingham's  Origlnes  Ecclcsiastica:  for  an  account  of  the  ancient  church 
discipline. 

-  Matt,  xviii.  19,  20. 


Training  in   Temper.  215 

therefore  be  one  of  church  officers  assembled  for  the  trans- 
action of  ecclesiastical  business  :  it  may  be  a  meeting,  in  a 
church  or  in  a  cottage,  purely  for  the  purposes  of  worship. 
The  promise  avails  for  all  persons,  all  subjects  of  prayer,  all 
places,  and  all  times  ;  for  all  truly  Christian  assemblies  great 
and  small. 

The  promise  avails  for  the  smallest  number  that  can  make 
a  meeting  —  even  for  two  or  three.  This  minimum  number 
is  condescended  on  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  in  the 
strongest  possible  manner  the  importance  of  brotherly  con- 
cord. Jesus  gives  us  to  understand  that  two  agreed  are 
better,  stronger,  than  twelve  or  a  thousand  divided  by  enmi- 
ties and  ambitious  passions.  "  The  Lord,  when  He  would 
commend  unanimity  and  peace  to  His  disciples,  said,  '  If  two 
of  you  shall  agree  on  earth,'  etc.,  to  show  that  most  is  granted 
not  to  the  multitude,  but  to  the  concord  of  the  supplicants."  ' 
It  is  an  obvious  inference,  that  if  by  agreement  even  two  be 
strong,  then  a  multitude  really  united  in  mind  would  be  propor- 
tionally stronger.  For  we  must  not  fancy  that  God  has  any 
partiality  for  a  little  meeting,  or  that  there  is  any  virtue  in  a 
small  number.  Little  strait  sects  are  apt  to  fall  into  this 
mistake,  and  to  imagine  that  Christ  had  them  specially  in 
His  eye  when  He  said  two  or  three,  and  that  the  kind  of 
agreement  by  which  they  are  distinguished  —  agreement  in 
whim  and  crotchet  —  is  what  He  desiderated.  Ridiculous 
caricature  of  the  Lord's  meaning !  The  agreement  He 
requires  of  His  disciples  is  not  entire  unanimity  in  opinion, 
but  consent  of  mind  and  heart  in  the  ends  they  aim  at,  and 
in  unselfish  devotion  to  these  ends.  When  He  spake  of  two 
or  three,  tie  did  not  contemplate,  as  the  desirable  state  of 
things,  the  body  of  His  church  split  up  into  innumerable 
fragments  by  rehgious  opinionativeness,  each  fragment  in 
proportion  to  its 'minuteness  imagining  itself  sure  of  His 
presence  and  blessing.  He  did  not  wish  His  church  to  con- 
sist of  a  collection  of  clubs  having  no  intercommunion  with 
each  other,  any  more  than  He  desired  it  to  be  a  monster 
hotel,  receiving  and  harboring  all  comers,  no  questions  being 
asked.  He  made  the  promise  now  under  consideration,  not 
to  stimulate  sectarianism,  but  to  encourage  the  cultivation 

*  Cyprianus,  De  Unitate  Ecclesice. 


2i6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

of  virtues  which  have  ever  been  too  rare  on  earth  —  brotherly- 
kindness,  meekness,  charity.  The  thing  He  values,  in  a 
word,  is  not  paucity  of  numbers,  due  to  the  want  of  charity, 
but  union  of  hearts  in  lowly  love  among  the  greatest  number 
possible. 

Section  III.  —  Forgiving  Injuries. 

Matt,  xviii.  21-35. 

A  lesson  on  forgiveness  fitly  ended  the  solemn  discourse 
on  humility  delivered  in  the  hearing  of  disputatious  disciples. 
The  connection  of  thought  between  beginning  and  end  is  very 
real,  though  it  does  not  quite  lie  on  the  furface.  A  vindictive 
temper,  which  is  the  thing  here  condemned,  is  one  of  the 
vices  fostered  by  an  ambitious  spirit.  An  ambitious  man  is 
sure  to  be  the  receiver  of  many  offences,  real  or  imaginary. 
He  is  quick  to  take  offence,  and  slow  to  forgive  or  forget 
wrong.  Forgiving  injuries  is  not  in  his  way:  he  is  more  in 
his  element  when  he  lays  hold  of  his  debtor  by  the  throat, 
and  with  ruffian  fierceness  demands  payment. 

The  concluding  part  of  the  discourse  was  occasioned  by  a 
question  put  by  Peter,  the  usual  spokesman  of  the  twelve, 
who  came  to  Jesus  and  said  :  "  Lord,  how  oft  shall  my  brother 
sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him  .-*  till  seven  times } "  By 
what  precise  association  of  ideas  the  question  was  suggested 
to  Peter's  mind  we  know  not ;  perhaps  he  did  not  know 
himself,  for  the  movements  of  the  mind  are  often  mysterious, 
and  in  impulsive  mercurial  natures  they  are  also  apt  to  be 
sudden.  Thoughts  shoot  into  consciousness  like  meteors 
into  the  upper  atmosphere  ;  and  suddenly  conceived,  are  as 
abruptly  uttered,  with  physical  gestures  accompanying,  indi- 
cating the  force  with  which  they  have  taken  possession  of 
the  soul.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  disciple's  query,  however 
suggested,  was  relevant  to  the  subject  in  hand,  and  had 
latent  spiritual  affinities  with  all  that  Jesus  had  said  con- 
cerning humility  and  the  giving  and  receiving  of  offences. 
It  showed  on  Peter's  part  an  intelligent  attention  to  the 
words  of  his  Master,  and  a  conscientious  solicitude  to 
conform  his  conduct  to  those  heavenly  precepts  by  which  he 
felt  for  the  moment  subdued  and  softened. 

The    question   put   by  Peter   further  revealed   a   curious 


Training  in   Temper.  217 

mixture  of  childlikeness  and  childishness.  To  be  so  earnest 
about  the  duty  of  forgiving,  and  even  to  think  of  practising 
the  duty  so  often  as  seven  times  towards  the  same  offender, 
betrayed  the  true  child  of  the  kingdom ;  for  none  but  the 
graciously-minded  are  exercised  in  that  fashion.  But  to 
imagine  that  pardon  repeated  just  so  many  times  would 
exhaust  obligation  and  amount  to  something  magnanimous 
and  divine,  was  very  simple.  Poor  Peter,  in  his  ingenuous 
attempt  at  the  magnanimous,  was  like  a  child  standing  on 
tiptoe  to  make  himself  as  tall  as  his  father,  or  climbing  to 
the  top  of  a  hillock  to  get  near  the  skies. 

The  reply  of  Jesus  to  His  honest  but  crude  disciple  was 
admirably  adapted  to  put  him  out  of  conceit  with  himself, 
and  to  make  him  feel  how  puny  and  petty  were  the  dimen- 
sions of  his  charity.  Echoing  the  thought  of  the  prophetic 
oracle,  it  tells  those  who  would  be  like  God  that  they  must 
multiply  pardons  : '  "  I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until  seven  times  ; 
but,  Until  seventy  times  seven."  Alas  for  the  rarity  of 
such  charity  under  the  sun  !  Christ's  thoughts  are  not 
man's  thoughts,  neither  are  His  ways  common  among  men. 
As  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  His 
thoughts  and  ways  higher  than  those  current  in  this  world. 
For  many,  far  from  forgiving  times  without  number  a 
brother  confessing  his  fault,  do  not  forgive  even  so  much  as 
once,  but  act  so  that  we  can  recognize  their  portrait  drawn 
to  the  life  in  the  parable  of  the  iinvierciful  servant. 

In  this  parable,  whose  minutest  details  are  fraught  with 
instruction,  three  things  are  specially  noteworthy  :  the  con- 
trast between  the  two  debts ;  the  corresponding  contrast 
between  the  two  creditors  ;  and  the  doom  pronounced  on 
those  who,  being  forgiven  the  large  debt  owed  by  them, 
refuse  to  forgive  the  small  debt  owed  to  them. 

The  two  debts  are  respectively  ten  thousand  talents  and  a 
hundred  denarii,  being  to  each  other  in  the  proportion  of, 
say,  a  million  to  one.  The  enormous  disparity  is  intended  to 
represent  the  difference  between  the  shortcomings  of  all  men 
towards  God,  and  those  with  which  any  man  can  charge  a 
fellow-creature.  The  representation  is  confessed  to  be  just 
by  all  who  know  human  nature  and  their  own  hearts  ;  and  the 

*  Isa.  Iv.  7. 


2i8  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

consciousness  of  its  truth  helps  them  greatly  to  be  gentle 
and  forbearing  towards  offenders.  Yet  the  parable  seems 
to  be  faulty  in  this,  that  it  makes  the  unmerciful  servant 
answerable  for  such  a  debt  as  it  seems  impossible  for  any 
man  to  run  up.  Who  ever  heard  of  a  private  debt  amount- 
ing in  British  money  to  millions  sterling  .'*  The  difficulty  is 
met  by  the  suggestion  that  the  debtor  is  a  person  of  high 
rank,  like  one  of  the  princes  whom  Darius  set  over  the 
kingdom  of  Persia,  or  a  provincial  governor  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  Such  an  official  might  very  soon  make  himself 
liable  for  the  huge  sum  here  specified,  simply  by  retaining 
for  his  own  benefit  the  revenues  of  his  province  as  they 
passed  through  his  hands,  instead  of  remitting  them  to  the 
royal  treasury. 

That  it  was  some  such  unscrupulous  minister  of  state, 
guilty  of  the  crime  of  embezzlement,  whom  Jesus  had  in  His 
eye,  appears  all  but  certain  when  we  recollect  what  gave  rise 
to  the  discourse  of  which  this  parable  forms  the  conclusion. 
The  disciples  had  disputed  among  themselves  who  should  be 
greatest  in  the  kingdom,  each  one  being  ambitious  to  obtain 
the  place  of  distinction  for  himself.  Here,  accordingly,  their 
Master  holds  up  to  their  view  the  conduct  of  a  great  one, 
concerned  not  about  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty,  but 
about  his  own  aggrandizement.  "Behold,"  He  says  to  them 
in  effect,  "  what  men  who  wish  to  be  great  ones  do  !  They 
rob  their  king  of  his  revenue,  and  abuse  the  opportunities 
afforded  by  their  position  to  enrich  themselves ;  and  while 
scandalously  negligent  of  their  own  obligations,  they  are 
characteristically  exacting  towards  any  little  one  who  may 
happen  in  the  mose  innocent  way,  not  by  fraud,  but  by 
misfortune,  to  have  become  their  debtor." 

Thus  understood,  the  parable  faithfully  represents  the 
guilt  and  criminality  of  those  at  least  who  are  animated  by 
the  spirit  of  pride,  and  deliberately  make  self-advancement 
their  chief  end  :  a  class  by  no  means  small  in  number.  Such 
men  are  great  sinners,  whoever  may  be  little  ones.  They 
not  merely  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  the  true  chief 
end  of  man,  but  they  deliberately  rob  the  Supreme  of  His 
due,  calling  in  question  His  sovereignty,  denying  their 
accountability  to  Him  for  their   actions,  and  by  the   spirit 


Training  in   Temper.  219 

which  animates  them,  saying  every  moment  of  their  lives, 
"Who  is  Lord  over  us?"  It  is  impossible  to  over-estimate 
the  magnitude  of  their  guilt. 

The  contrast  between  the  two  creditors  is  not  less  striking 
than  that  between  the  two  debts.  The  king  forgives  the 
enormous  debt  of  his  unprincipled  satrap  on  receiving  a 
simple  promise  to  pay ;  the  forgiven  satrap  relentlessly 
exacts  the  petty  debt  of  some  three  pounds  sterling  from 
the  poor  hapless  underling  who  owes  it,  stopping  his  ear 
to  the  identical  petition  for  delay  which  he  had  himself  suc- 
cessfully presented  to  his  sovereign  lord.  Here  also  the 
coloring  of  the  parable  appears  too  strong.  The  great 
creditor  seems  lenient  to  excess  :  for  surely  such  a  crime  as 
the  satrap  had  been  guilty  of  ought  not  to  go  unpunished ; 
and  surely  it  had  been  wise  to  attach  little  weight  to  a 
promise  of  future  payment  made  by  a  man  who,  with  un- 
bounded extravagance,  had  already  squandered  such  a 
prodigious  sum,  so  that  he  had  nothing  to  pay !  Then  this 
great  debtor,  in  his  character  as  small  creditor,  seems 
incredibly  inhuman  ;  for  even  the  meanest,  most  greedy,  and 
grasping  churl,  not  to  speak  of  so  great  a  gentleman,  might 
well  be  ashamed  to  show  such  eagerness  about  so  trifling  a 
sum  as  to  seize  the  poor  wight  who  owed  it  by  the  throat 
and  drag  him  to  prison,  to  lie  there  till  he  paid  it. 

The  representation  is  doubtless  extreme,  and  yet  in  both 
parts  it  is  in  accordance  with  truth.  God  does  deal  with  His 
debtors  as  the  king  dealt  with  the  satrap.  He  is  slow  to 
anger,  and  of  great  kindness,  and  repenteth  Him  of  the  evil 
He  hath  threatened.  He  giveth  men  space  to  repent,  and 
by  providential  delays  accepts  promises  of  amendment, 
though  He  knoweth  full  well  that  they  will  be  broken,  and 
that  those  who  made  them  will  go  on  sinning  as  before.  So 
He  dealt  with  Pharaoh,  with  Israel,  with  Nineveh  ;  so  He 
deals  with  all  whom  He  calls  to  account  by  remorse  of 
conscience,  by  a  visitation  of  sickness,  or  by  the  apprehension 
of  death,  when,  on  their  exclaiming,  in  a  passing  penitential 
mood,  "  Lord,  have  patience  with  me,  and  I  will  pay  Thee  all," 
He  grants  their  petition,  knowing  that  when  the  danger  or  the 
fit  of  repentance  is  over,  the  promise  of  amendment  will  be 
utterly  forgotten.     Truly  was  it  written  of   old:    "He  hath 


2  20  The   Training  of  the   Twelve. 

not  dealt  with  us  after  our  sins,  nor  rewarded  us  according 
to  our  iniquities." 

Nor  is  the  part  played  by  the  unmerciful  servant,  however 
infamous  and  inhuman,  altogether  unexampled  ;  although  its 
comparative  rarity  is  implied  in  that  part  of  the  parabolic 
story  which  represents  the  fellow-servants  of  the  relentless 
one  as  shocked  and  grieved  at  his  conduct,  and  as  reporting 
it  to  the  common  master.  It  would  not  be  impossible  to  find 
originals  of  the  dark  picture,  even  among  professors  of  the 
Christian  religion,  who  believe  in  the  forgiveness  of  sins 
through  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  hope  to  experience  all  the 
benefits  of  divine  mercy  for  His  sake.  It  is,  indeed,  precisely 
by  such  persons  that  the  crime  of  unmercifulness  is,  in  the 
parable,  supposed  to  be  committed.  The  exacting  creditor 
meets  his  debtor  just  as  he  himself  comes  out  from  the 
presence  of  the  king  after  craving  and  receiving  remission 
of  his  own  debt.  This  feature  in  the  story  at  once  adapts 
its  lesson  specially  to  believers  in  the  gospel,  and  points  out 
the  enormity  of  their  guilt.  All  such,  if  not  really  forgiven, 
do  at  least  consciously  live  under  a  reign  of  grace,  in  which 
God  is  assuming  the  attitude  of  one  who  desires  all  to  be 
reconciled  unto  Himself,  and  for  that  end  proclaims  a 
gratuitous  pardon  to  all  who  will  receive  it.  In  men  so 
situated  the  spirit  of  unmercifulness  is  peculiarly  offensive. 
Shameful  in  a  pagan,  —  for  the  light  of  nature  teacheth  the 
duty  of  being  merciful,  —  such  inhuman  rigor  as  is  here 
portrayed  in  a  Christian  is  utterly  abominable.  Think  of  it ! 
he  goes  out  from  the  presence  of  the  King  of  grace  ;  rises 
up  from  the  perusal  of  the  blessed  gospel,  which  tells  of  One 
who  received  publicans  and  sinners,  even  the  chief ;  walks 
forth  from  the  house  of  prayer  where  the  precious  evangel  is 
proclaimed,  yea,  from  the  communion  table,  which  commem- 
orates the  love  that  moved  the  Son  of  God  to  pay  the  debt 
of  sinners ;  and  he  meets  a  fellow-mortal  who  has  done 
him  some  petty  wrong,  and  seizes  him  by  the  throat,  and 
truculently  demands  reparation  on  pain  of  imprisonment  or 
something  worse  if  it  be  not  forthcoming.  May  not  the 
most  gracious  Lord  righteously  say  to  such  an  one  :  "  O  thou 
wicked  servant !  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because 
thou  desiredst  me ;  shouldest  thou  not  also  have  had  com- 


Training  in   Ternper.  221 

passion  on  thy  fellow-servant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee  ? " 
What  can  the  miscreant  who  showed  no  mercy  expect,  but  to 
receive  judgment  without  mercy,  and  to  be  delivered  over 
to  the  tormentors,  to  be  kept  in  durance  and  put  to  the  rack, 
without  hope  of  release,  till  he  shall  have  paid  his  debt  to 
the  uttermost  farthing  ? 

This  very  doom  Jesus,  in  the  closing  sentences  of  His 
discourse,  solemnly  assured  His  disciples  awaited  all  who 
cherish  an  unforgiving  temper,  even  if  they  themselves 
should  be  the  guilty  parties.  "  So  likewise  shall  my  heavenly 
Father  do  also  unto  you  if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not 
every  one  his  brother."  '  Stern  words  these,  which  lay  down 
a  rule  of  universal  application,  not  relaxable  in  the  case  of 
favored  parties.  Were  partiality  admissible  at  all,  such  as 
the  twelve  would  surely  get  the  benefit  of  it  ;  but  as  if  to 
intimate  that  in  this  matter  there  is  no  respect  of  persons, 
the  law  is  enunciated  with  direct,  emphatic  reference  to 
them.  And  harsh  as  the  law  might  seem,  Jesus  is  careful 
to  indicate  His  cordial  approval  of  its  being  enforced  with 
Rhadamanthine  rigor.  For  that  purpose  He  calls  God  the 
Judge  by  the  endearing  name  "  My  heavenly  Father ; " 
as  if  to  say  :  "  The  great  God  and  King  does  not  seem  to 
me  unduly  stern  in  decreeing  such  penalties  against  the 
unforgiving.  I,  the  merciful,  tender-hearted  Son  of  man, 
thoroughly  sympathize  with  such  judicial  severity.  I  should 
solemnly  say  Amen  to  that  doom  pronounced  even  against 
you  if  you  behaved  so  as  to  deserve  it.  Think  not  that 
because  ye  are  my  chosen  companions,  therefore  violations 
of  the  law  of  love  by  you  will  be  winked  at.  On  the 
contrary,  just  because  ye  are  great  ones  in  the  kingdom,  so 
far  as  privilege  goes,  will  compliance  with  its  fundamental 
laws  be  especially  expected  of  you,  and  non-compliance 
most  severely  punished.  To  whom  much  is  given,  of  him 
shall  much  be  required.  See,  then,  that  ye  forgive  every 
one  his  brother  their  trespasses,  and  that  ye  do  so  really,  not 
in  pretence,  even  from  your  very  heartsy  By  such  severe 
plainness  of  speech  did  Jesus  educate  His  disciples  for  being 
truly  great  ones  in  His  kingdom  :  great  not  in  pride,  preten- 
sion, and  presumption,  but  in  loyal  obedience  to  the  behests 

'  The  remaining  words,  "  their  trespasses,"  are  probably  a  gloss. 


2  22  The  Traijiing  of  the  Twelve. 

of  their  King,  and  particularly  to  this  law  of  forgiveness, 
on  which  He  insisted  in  His  teaching  so  earnestly  and  so 
frequently.'  And  we  cannot  but  remark  here,  at  the  close 
of  our  exposition  of  the  discourse  on  humility,  that  if  the 
apostles  in  after  days  did  not  rise  superior  to  petty  passions, 
it  was  not  the  fault  of  their  Master  in  neglecting  their 
training.  "  With  holy  earnestness,"  —  to  quote  the  language 
of  a  German  scholar,  —  "  springing  equally  out  of  solicitude 
for  the  new  community,  zeal  for  the  cause  of  God  and  of 
men  ;  nay,  for  the  essential  truths  of  the  new  religion  of 
divine  grace  and  of  the  brotherhood  of  mankind,  Jesus  sought 
to  ward  off  the  dark  shadow  of  petty,  ungodly  feelings 
which  He  saw  creeping  stealthily  into  the  circle  of  His 
disciples,  and  of  whose  still  more  extensive  and  mischievous 
influence,  after  His  departure.  He  could  not  but  be  appre- 
hensive."^ We  cannot  believe  that  all  this  earnestness  had 
been  manifested  in  vain  ;  that  the  disciples  did  not  at  length 
get  the  salt  thoroughly  into  them.^ 

Section  IV.  —  The  Temple  Tax  :  an  Illustration  of  the  Sermon. 

Matt.  xvii.  24-27. 

This  story  is  a  nut  with  a  dry,  hard  shell,  but  a  very  sweet 
kernel.  Superficial  readers  may  see  in  it  nothing  more  than 
a  curious  anecdote  of  a  singular  fish  with  a  piece  of  money 
in  its  mouth  turning  up  opportunely  to  pay  a  tax,  related 

'  See  Matt.  vi.  14. 

^  Keim,  Geschichte  yesit,  ii.  611. 

3  Mark  ix.  49,  50.  This  passage,  peculiar  to  Mark,  and  forming  without  doubt  a 
most  authentic  part  of  the  discourse  on  humility,  is  difficult  to  interpret.  But  while  we 
may  hesitate  as  to  the  precise  exposition,  we  can  have  little  difficulty  in  getting  at  the 
leading  thoughts  contained.     They  are  these  three  :  — 

1.  The  necessity  of  a  more  or  less  painful  process  of  purification  in  order  to  salvation. 

2.  The  need  of  constant  care  lest  the  salt  of  grace,  already  possessed,  become  insipid. 

3.  The  wholesome  influence  of  the  salt  of  grace  when  it  hath  not  lost  its  savor  in 
maintaining  a  state  of  mutual  concord  among  Christians. 

The  first  thought  is  expressed  by  the  words,  "  Every  one  shall  be  salted  with  fire," 
the  form  of  expression  being  naturally  determined  by  the  previous  reference  to  /icll  fire. 
The  meaning  is,  put  yourselves  through  a  purgatorial  fire,  that  ye  may  escape  the  fire 
that  \%  penal.  A  fire  salting  of  some  kind  is  inevitable:  choose  the  one  that  is  saving. 
The  third  of  the  above  thoughts  is  expressed  in  the  words,  "  Have  salt  in  yourselves,  and 
be  at  peace  with  each  other."  The  salt  meant  is  that  of  a  severe  self-discipline  that 
wrestles  with  the  evil  passion  in  the  heart,  and  resolutely  lops  off  every  member  that 
offendeth  Where  this  salt  is,  all  occasion  for  quarrelling  arising  out  of  ambitious,  vain, 
self-willed  thoughts  and  desires  is  taken  away. 


'  Training  in   Temper.  223 

by  Matthew,  alone  of  the  evangelists,  not  because  of  its 
intrinsic  importance,  but  simply  because,  being  an  ex-tax- 
gatherer,  he  took  kindly  to  the  tale.  Devout  readers,  though 
unwilling  to  acknowledge  it,  may  be  secretly  scandalized  by 
the  miracle  related,  as  not  merely  a  departure  from  the  rule 
which  Jesus  observed  of  not  using  His  divine  power  to  help 
Himself,  but  as  something  very  like  a  piece  of  sport  on  His 
part,  or  an  expression  of  a  humorous  sense  of  incongruity, 
reminding  one  of  the  grotesque  figures  in  old  cathedrals,  in 
the  carving  of  which  the  builders  delighted  to  show  their 
skill,  and  find  for  themselves  amusement. 

Breaking  the  shell  of  the  story,  we  discover  within,  as  its 
kernel,  a  most  pathetic  exhibition  of  the  humiliation  and 
self-humiliation  of  the  Son  of  man,  who  appears  exposed 
to  the  indignity  of  being  dunned  for  temple  dues,  and  so 
oppressed  with  poverty  that  He  cannot  pay  the  sum 
demanded,  though  its  amount  is  only  fifteenpence ;  yet 
neither  pleading  poverty  nor  insisting  on  exemption  on  the 
score  of  privilege,  but  quietly  meeting  the  claims  of  the  col- 
lectors in  a  manner  which,  if  sufficiently  strange,  as  we  admit,' 
was  at  all  events  singularly  meek  and  peaceable. 

The  present  incident  supplies,  in  truth,  an  admirable  illus- 
tration of  the  doctrine  taught  in  the  discourse  on  humility. 
The  greatest  in  the  kingdom  here  exemplifies  by  anticipation 
the  lowliness  He  inculcated  on  His  disciples,  and  shows 
them  in  exercise  a  holy,  loving  solicitude  to  avoid  giving 
offence  not  only  to  the  little  ones  within  the  kingdom,  but 
even  to  those  without.  He  stands  not  on  His  dignity  as 
the  Son  of  God,  though  the  voice  from  heaven  uttered  on  the 
holy  mount  still  rings  in  His  ears,  but  consents  to  be  treated 
as  a  subject  or  a  stranger  ;  desiring  to  live  peaceably  with 
men  whose  ways  He  does  not  love,  and  who  bear  Him  no 
good-will,    by   complying   with    their   wishes    in    all    things 

'  Jesus,  we  believe,  did  work  miracles  expressive  of  humor,  not  however  in  levity,  but 
in  holy  earnest.  Such  were  the  cursing  of  the  fig-tree ;  the  healing  of  blindness  by 
putting  cla5'  on  the  eyes,  as  a  satire  on  the  blind  guides  ;  and  the  present  one,  expressing 
a  sense  of  the  incongruity  between  the  outward  condition  and  the  intrinsic  dignity  of  the 
Son  of  God.  But  Dr.  Farrar  doubts  whether  a  miracle  was  wrought  at  all.  He  thinks 
t!ie  translation  of  our  Lord's  words  concerning  the  fish  might  run,  "  On  opening  its 
mouth  thou  shalt  get  or  obtain  a  stater ;  "  sucli  a  use  of  the  verb  tvpivKui  being  quite 
classical ;  and  suggests  the  possibility  of  some  essential  particular  having  been  omitted 
or  left  unexplained.  —  The  Life  of  Christy  ii.  46. 


224  ^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

lawful.  We  regard,  in  short,  this  curious  scene  at  Caper- 
naum (with  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  in  the  distant 
background  !)  as  a  historical  frontispiece  to  the  sermon  we 
have  been  studying.  We  think  ourselves  justified  in  taking 
this  view  of  it,  by  the  consideration  that,  though  the  scene 
occurred  before  the  sermon  was  delivered,  it  happened  after 
the  dispute  which  supplied  the  preacher  with  a  text.  The 
disciples  fell  to  disputing  on  the  way  home  from  the  Mount 
of  Transfiguration,  while  the  visit  of  the  tax-gatherers  took 
place  on  their  arrival  in  Capernaum.  Of  course  Jesus  knew 
of  the  dispute  at  the  time  of  the  visit,  though  He  had  not 
yet  expressly  adverted  to  it.  Is  it  too  much  to  assume  that 
His  knowledge  of  what  had  been  going  on  by  the  way 
influenced  His  conduct  in  the  affair  of  the  tribute  money, 
and  led  Him  to  make  it  the  occasion  for  teaching  by  action 
the  same  lesson  which  He  meant  to  take  an  early  opportunity 
of  inculcating  by  words  .'' ' 

This  assumption,  so  far  from  being  unwarranted,  is,  we 
believe,  quite  necessary  in  order  to  make  Christ's  conduct 
on  this  occasion  intelligible.  Those  who  leave  out  of  account 
the  dispute  by  the  way  are  not  at  the  right  point  of  view  for 
seeing  the  incident  at  Capernaum  in  its  natural  light,  and 
they  fall  inevitably  into  misunderstandings.  They  are  forced, 
e.g.,  to  regard  Jesus  as  arguing  seriously  against  payment 
of  the  temple  tax,  as  something  not  legally  obligatory,  or  as 
lying  out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  His  humiliation  as  the 
Son  of  man.  Now  it  was  neither  one  nor  other  of  these 
things.  The  law  of  Moses  ordained  that  every  man  above 
twenty  years  should  pay  the  sum  of  half  a  shekel  as  an  atone- 
ment for  his  soul,  and  to  meet  the  expenses  connected  with 
the  service  of  the  tabernacle  rendered  to  God  for  the  common 
benefit  of  all  Israelites  ;  and  Jesus,  as  a  Jew,  was  just  as 
much  under  obligation  to  comply  with  this  particular  law  as 
with  any  other.     Nor  was  there  any  peculiar  indignity,  either 

'  We  invite  the  special  attention  of  our  readers  to  the  above  indicated  connection,  as 
for  want  of  insight  into  the  connection  the  incident  now  under  consideration  has  received 
very  scant  justice.  Weizsacker,  e.g.,  no  extreme  critic,  holds  that  the  incident  in  question 
has  no  connection  with  the  group  of  incidents  amid  which  it  occurs,  and  says  Matthew, 
brings  it  in  here  because  it  happened  at  Capernaum,  because  he  could  not  get  it  in  sooner, 
and  must  put  it  here  or  leave  it  out  altogether. —  Vide  Unter.nichungen  iibey  die 
euangelische  Geschichte,  p.  73. 


Training  in   Temper.  225 

in  kind  or  degree,  involved  in  obeying  that  law.  Doubtless 
it  was  a  great  indignity  and  humiliation  to  the  Son  of  God 
to  be  paying  taxes  for  the  maintenance  of  His  own  Father's 
house  !  All  that  He  said  to  Peter,  pointing  out  the  incon- 
gruity of  such  a  state  of  things,  was  sober  truth.  But  the 
incongruity  does  not  meet  us  here  alone ;  it  runs  through 
'the  whole  of  our  Lord's  earthly  experience.  His  life,  in  all 
respects,  departed  from  the  analogy  of  kings'  sons.  Though 
He  were  a  Son,  yet  learned  He  obedience  ;  though  He  were 
a  Son,  yet  came  He  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister; 
though  He  were  a  Son,  yet  became  He  subject  to  the  law, 
not  merely  the  moral  but  the  ceremonial,  and  was  circum- 
cised, and  took  part  in  the  temple  worship,  and  frequented 
the  sacred  feasts,  and  offered  sacrifices,  though  these  were 
all  only  shadows  of  good  things,  whereof  He  Himself  was 
the  substance.  Surely,  in  a  life  containing  so  many  indig- 
nities and  incongruities,  —  which  was,  in  fact,  one  grand 
indignity  from  beginning  to  end,  —  it  was  a  small  matter  to 
be  obliged  to  pay  annually,  for  the  benefit  of  the  temple,  the 
paltry  sum  of  fifteenpence  !  He  who  with  marvellous  patience 
went  through  all  the  rest,  could  not  possibly  mean  to  stumble 
and  scruple  at  so  trifling  a  matter.  He  who  did  nothing 
towards  destroying  the  temple  and  putting  an  end  to  legal 
worship  before  the  time,  could  not  be  a  party  to  the  mean 
policy  of  starving  out  its  officials,  or  grudging  the  funds 
necessary  to  keep  the  sacred  edifice  in  good  repair.  He 
might  say  openly  what  He  thought  of  existing  ecclesiastical 
abuses,  but  He  would  do  no  more. 

The  truth  is,  that  the  words  spoken  by  Jesus  to  Simon 
were  not  intended  as  an  argument  against  paying  the  tax, 
but  as  an  explanation  of  what  was  meant  by  His  paying  it, 
and  of  the  motive  which  guided  Him  in  paying  it.  They 
were  a  lesson  for  Simon,  and  through  him  for  the  twelve,  on 
a  subject  wherein  they  had  great  need  of  instruction;  not  a 
legal  defence  against  the  demands  of  the  tax-gatherer.  But 
for  that  dispute  by  the  way,  Jesus  would  probably  have  taken 
the  quietest  means  for  getting  the  tax  paid,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  without  making  any  remarks  on  the  subject.  That 
He  had  already  acted  thus  on  previous  occasions,  Peter's 
prompt  affirmative  reply  to  the  question  of    the    collectors 


2  26  The  Tr'aining  of  the   Twelve. 

seems  to  imply.  The  disciple  said  "yes,"  as  knowing  what 
his  Master  had  done  in  past  years,  and  assuming  as  a  thing 
of  course  that  His  practice  would  be  the  same  now.  But 
Jesus  did  not  deem  it,  in  present  circumstances,  expedient  to 
let  His  disciples  regard  His  action  with  respect  to  the  tax  as 
a  mere  vulgar  matter  of  course  ;  He  wanted  them  to  under- 
stand and  reflect  on  tJic  moral  meaning  and  the  motive  of  His 
action  for  their  own  instruction  and  guidance. 

He  wished  them  to  understand,  in  the  first  place,  that  for 
Him  to  pay  the  temple  dues  was  a  humiliation  and  an  incon- 
gruity, similar  to  that  of  a  king's  son  paying  a  tax  for  the 
support  of  the  palace  and  the  royal  household  ;  that  it  was 
not  a  thing  of  course  that  He  should  pay,  any  more  than  it 
was  a  thing  of  course  that  He  should  become  man,  and,  so  to 
speak,  leave  His  royal  state  behind  and  assume  the  rank  of  a 
peasant ;  that  it  was  an  act  of  voluntary  humiliation,  forming 
one  item  in  the  course  of  humiliation  to  which  He  voluntarily 
submitted,  beginning  with  His  birth,  and  ending  with  His 
death  and  burial.  He  desired  His  disciples  to  think  of  these 
things  in  the  hope  that  meditation  on  them  would  help  to 
rebuke  the  pride,  pretension,  and  self-assertion  which  had 
given  rise  to  that  petty  dispute  about  places  of  distinction. 
He  would  say  to  them,  in  effect  :  "  Were  I,  like  you,  covetous 
of  honors,  and  bent  on  asserting  my  importance,  I  would 
stand  on  my  dignity,  and  haughtily  reply  to  these  collectors 
of  tribute  :  Why  trouble  ye  me  about  temple  dues  }  Know 
ye  not  who  I  am  }  I  am  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God  :  the  temple  is  my  Father's  house ;  and  I,  His  Son,  am 
free  from  all  servile  obligations.  But,  note  ye  well,  I  do 
nothing  of  the  kind.  With  the  honors  heaped  upon  me 
on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  fresh  in  my  recollection,  with 
the  consciousness  of  who  I  am,  and  whence  I  came,  and 
whither  I  go,  abiding  deep  in  my  soul,  I  submit  to  be  treated 
as  a  mere  common  Jew,  suffering  my  honors  to  fall  into 
abeyance,  and  making  no  demands  for  a  recognition  which  is 
not  voluntarily  conceded.  The  world  knows  me  not ;  and 
while  it  knows  me  not,  I  am  content  that  it  should  do  with 
me,  as  with  John,  whatsoever  it  lists.  Did  the  rulers  know 
who  I  am,  they  would  be  ashamed  to  ask  of  me  temple  dues  ; 
but  since  they  do  not,  I  accept  and  bear  all  the  indignities 
consequent  on  their  ignorance." 


Training  in   Temper.  227 

All  this  Jesus  said  in  effect  to  His  disciples,  by  first 
adverting  to  the  grounds  on  which  a  refusal  to  pay  the 
didrachmon  might  plausibly  be  defended,  and  then  after  all 
paying  it.  The  manner  of  payment  also  was  so  contrived  by 
Him  as  to  re-enforce  the  lesson.  He  said  not  to  Simon 
simply:  "Go  and  catch  fish,  that  with  the  proceeds  of  their 
sale  we  may  satisfy  our  creditors."  He  gave  him  directions 
as  the  Lord  of  nature,  to  whom  all  creatures  in  land  or  sea 
were  subject,  and  all  their  movements  familiar,  while  yet  so 
humbled  as  to  need  the  services  of  the  meanest  of  them.  By 
drawing  on  His  omniscience  in  giving  these  instructions  to 
His  disciple,  He  did,  in  a  manner,  what  He  never  did  either 
before  or  after,  viz.  wrought  a  miracle  for  His  o\n\  behoof. 
The  exception,  however,  had  the  same  reason  as  the  rule,  and 
therefore  proved  the  rule.  Jesus  abstained  from  using  His 
divine  faculties  for  His  own  benefit,  that  He  might  not 
impair  the  integrity  of  His  humilation  ;  that  His  human  life 
might  be  a  real  bona  fide  life  of  hardship,  unalleviated  by  the 
presence  of  the  divine  element  in  His  personality.  But  what 
was  the  effect  of  the  lightning-flash  of  divine  knowledge 
emitted  by  Him  in  giving  those  directions  to  Peter  t  To 
impair  the  integrity  of  His  humiliation  }  Nay,  but  only  to 
make  it  glaringly  conspicuous.  It  said  to  Simon,  and  to  us, 
if  he  and  we  had  ears  to  hear  :  "  Behold  who  it  is  that  pays 
this  tax,  and  that  is  reduced  to  such  straits  in  order  to  pay 
it !  It  is  He  who  knoweth  all  the  fowls  of  the  mountain, 
and  whatsoever  passeth  through  the  paths  of  the  sea !  " 

The  other  point  on  which  Jesus  desired  to  fix  the  attention 
of  His  disciples,  was  the  reason  which  moved  Him  to  adopt 
the  policy  of  submission  to  what  was  in  itself  an  indignity. 
That  reason  was  to  avoid  giving  offence  :  "  Notwithstanding, 
lest  we  should  offend  them."  This  was  not,  of  course,  the 
only  reason  of  His  conduct  in  this  case.  There  were  other 
comprehensive  reasons  applicable  to  His  whole  experience 
of  humiliation,  and  to  this  small  item  therein  in  particular ; 
a  full  account  of  which  would  just  amount  to  an  answer  to 
the  great  question  put  by  Anselm  :  "  Cur  Deus  Homo;" 
Why  did  God  become  man  .-*  On  that  great  question  we  do 
not  enter  here,  however,  but  confine  ourselves  to  the  remark, 
that  while  the  reason  assigned  by  Jesus  to  Peter  for  the 


228  The  Traini?tg  of  the  Twelve. 

payment  of  the  temple  dues  was  by  no  means  the  only  one, 
or  even  the  chief,  it  was  the  reason  to  which,  for  the  disciples' 
sake.  He  deemed  it  expedient  just  then  to  give  prominence. 
He  was  about  to  discourse  to  them  largely  on  the  subject 
of  giving  and  receiving  offences  ;  and  He  wished  them,  and 
specially  their  foremost  man,  first  of  all  to  observe  how  very 
careful  He  Himself  was  not  to  offend, — what  a  prominent 
place  the  desire  to  avoid  giving  offence  occupied  among  His 
motives. 

Christ's  declared  reason  for  paying  the  tribute  is  strikingly 
expressive  of  His  lowliness  and  His  love.  The  mark  of  His 
lowliness  is  that  there  is  no  word  here  of  taking  offence. 
How  easily  and  plausibly  might  He  have  taken  up  the  posi- 
tion of  one  who  did  well  to  be  angry  !  "  I  am  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,"  He  might  have  said,  "and  have  substan- 
tiated my  claims  by  a  thousand  miracles  in  word  and  deed, 
yet  they  wilfully  refuse  to  recognize  me  ;  I  am  a  poor  home- 
less wanderer,  yet  they,  knowing  this,  demanded  the  tribute, 
as  if  more  for  the  sake  of  annoying  and  insulting  me  than  of 
getting  the  money.  And  for  what  purpose  do  they  collect 
these  dues  .''  For  the  support  of  a  religious  establishment 
thoroughly  effete,  to  repair  an  edifice  doomed  to  destruction, 
to  maintain  a  priesthood  scandalously  deficient  in  the  cardinal 
virtues  of  integrity  and  truth,  and  whose  very  existence  is  a 
curse  to  the  land.  I  cannot  in  conscience  pay  a  didrachmon, 
no,  not  even  so  much  as  a  farthing,  for  any  such  objects." 

The  lowly  One  did  not  assume  this  attitude,  but  gave 
what  was  asked  without  complaint,  grudging,  or  railing ; 
and  His  conduct  conveys  a  lesson  for  Christians  in  all  ages, 
and  in  our  own  age  in  particular.  It  teaches  the  children 
of  the  kingdom  not  to  murmur  because  the  world  does  not 
recognize  their  status  and  dignity.  The  world  knew  not  when 
He  came,  even  God's  eternal  Son  ;  what  wonder  if  it  recog- 
nize not  His  younger  brethren  !  The  kingdom  of  heaven 
itself  is  not  believed  in,  and  its  citizens  should  not  be 
surprised  at  any  want  of  respect  towards  them  individually. 
The  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God  is  one  of  the  things 
for  which  Christians  wait  in  hope.  For  the  present  they 
are  not  the  children,  but  the  strangers  :  instead  of  exemption 
from  burdens,  they  should  rather  expect  oppression  ;  and  they 


Training  in   Ternper.  220 

should  be  thankful  when  they  are  put  on  a  level  with  their 
fellow-creatures,  and  get  the  benefit  of  a  law  of  toleration. 

As  the  humility  of  Jesus  was  shown  by  His  not  taking, 
so  His  love  was  manifested  by  His  solicitude  to  avoid  giving 
offence.  He  desired,  if  possible,  to  conciliate  persons  who 
for  the  most  part  had  treated  Him  all  along  as  a  heathen 
and  a  publican,  and  who  ere  long,  as  He  knew  well,  would 
treat  Him  even  as  a  felon.  How  like  Himself  was  the  Son 
of  man  in  so  acting !  How  thoroughly  in  keeping  His 
procedure  here  with  His  whole  conduct  while  He  was  on 
the  earth  !  For  what  was  His  aim  in  coming  to  the  world, 
what  His  constant  endeavor  after  He  came,  but  to  cancel 
offences,  and  to  put  an  end  to  enmities  —  to  reconcile  sinful 
men  to  God  and  to  each  other }  For  these  ends  He  took 
flesh  ;  for  these  ends  He  was  crucified.  His  earthly  life  was 
all  of  a  piece  —  a  life  of  lowly  love. 

"  Lest  we  should  offend,"  said  Jesus,  using  the  plural  to 
hint  that  He  meant  His  conduct  to  be  imitated  by  the 
twelve  and  by  all  His  followers.  How  happy  for  the  world 
and  the  church  were  this  done  !  How  many  offences  might 
have  been  prevented  had  the  conciliatory  spirit  of  the  Lord 
always  animated  those  called  by  His  name  !  How  many 
offences  might  be  removed  were  this  spirit  abundantly 
poured  out  on  Christians  of  all  denominations  now !  Did 
this  motive,  "  Notwithstanding,  lest  we  should  offend,"  bulk 
largely  in  all  minds,  what  breaches  might  be  healed,  what 
unions  might  come !  A  national  church  morally,  if  not 
legally,  established  in  unity  and  peace,  might  be  realized  in 
Scotland  in  the  present  generation.  Surely  a  consummation 
devoutly  to  be  wished  !  Let  us  wish  for  it ;  let  us  pray  for 
it ;  let  us  cherish  a  spirit  tending  to  make  it  possible ;  let 
us  hope  for  it  against  hope,  in  spite  of  increasing  tendencies 
on  all  sides  to  indulge  in  an  opposite  spirit. 


230  The  Traijiing  of  the  Twelve. 


Section  V.  —  The  Interdicted  Exorcist:   another   Illustration 
OF  THE  Sermon. 

Mark  ix.  38-41  ;  Luke  ix.  49,  50. 

The  discourses  of  our  Lord  were  not  continuous,  unbroken 
addresses  on  formally  announced  themes,  such  as  we  are 
wont  to  hear,  but  rather  for  the  most  part  of  the  nature  of 
Socratic  dialogues,  in  which  He  was  the  principal  speaker. 
His  disciples  contributing  their  part  in  the  form  of  a  ques- 
tion asked,  an  exclamation  uttered,  or  a  case  of  conscience 
propounded.  In  the  discourse  or  dialogue  on  humility, 
two  of  the  disciples  acted  as  interlocutors,  viz.  Peter  and 
John.  Towards  the  close  the  former  of  these  two  disciples, 
as  we  saw,  asked  a  question  concerning  the  forgiving  of 
injuries  ;  and  near  the  commencement  the  other  disciple, 
John,  related  an  anecdote  which  was  brought  up  to  his 
recollection  by  the  doctrine  of  his  Master,  respecting  receiv- 
ing little  ones  in  His  name,  and  on  which  the  truth  therein 
set  forth  seemed  to  have  a  bearing.  The  facts  thus  brought 
under  his  notice  led  Jesus  to  make  reflections,  which  supply 
an  interesting  illustration  of  the  bearing  of  the  doctrine  He 
was  inculcating  on  a  particular  class  of  cases  or  questions. 
These  reflections,  with  the  incident  to  which  they  relate, 
now  solicit  attention. 

The  story  told  by  John  was  to  the  effect  that  on  one 
occasion  he  and  his  brethren  had  found  a  man  unknown  to 
them  engaged  in  the  work  of  casting  out  devils,  and  had 
served  him  with  an  interdict,  because,  though  he  used  the 
name  of  Jesus  in  practising  exorcism,  he  did  not  follow  or 
identify  himself  with  them,  the  twelve.  At  what  particular 
time  this  happened  is  not  stated  ;  but  it  may  be  conjectured 
with  much  probability  that  the  incident  was  a  reminiscence 
of  the  Galilean  mission,  during  which  the  disciples  were 
separated  from  their  Master,  and  were  themselves  occupied 
in  healing  the  sick,  and  casting  out  evil  spirits,  and  in  preach- 
ing the  gospel  of  the  kingdom. 

John,  it  will  be  observed,  does  not  disclaim  joint  responsi- 
bility for  the  high-handed  proceeding  he  relates,  but  speaks 
as  if  the  twelve  had  acted  unanimously  in   the  matter.     It 


Training  in   Temper.  231 

may  surprise  some  to  find  hint,  the  apostle  of  love,'  consent- 
ing to  so  uncharitable  a  deed  ;  but  such  surprise  is  founded 
on  superficial  views  of  his  character,  as  well  as  on  ignorance 
of  the  laws  of  spiritual  growth.  John  is  not  now  what  he  will 
be,  but  differs  from  his  future  self,  as  much  as  an  orange  in  its 
second  year  differs  from  the  same  orange  in  its  third  final 
year  of  growth.  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  will  ultimately  ripen 
in  this  disciple  into  something  very  sweet  and  beautiful  ; 
but  meantime  it  is  green,  bitter,  and  fit  only  to  set  the 
teeth  on  edge.  Devoted  in  mind,  tender  and  intense  in 
his  attachment  to  Jesus,  scrupulously  conscientious  in  all  his 
actions,  he  is  even  now ;  but  he  is  also  bigoted,  intolerant, 
ambitious.  Already  he  has  played  the  part  of  a  very  high 
churchman  in  suppressing  the  nonconforming  exorcist  ;  ere 
long  we  shall  see  him  figuring,  together  with  his  brother, 
as  a  persecutor,  proposing  to  call  down  fire  from  heaven  to 
destroy  the  enemies  of  his  Lord  ;  and  yet  again  we  shall  find 
him,  along  with  the  same  brother  and  their  common  mother, 
engaged  in  an  ambitious  plot  to  secure  those  places  of 
distinction  in  the  kingdom  about  which  all  the  twelve  have 
lately  been  wrangling. 

In  refusing  to  recognize  the  exorcist  fellow-worker,  how- 
ever humble,  as  a  brother,  the  disciples  proceeded  on  very 
narrow  and  precarious  grounds.  The  test  they  applied  was 
purely  external.  What  sort  of  man  the  person  interdicted 
might  be  they  did  not  inquire  ;  it  was  enough  that  he  was 
not  of  their  company :  as  if  all  inside  that  charmed  circle 
—  Judas,  for  example — were  good;  and  all  outside,  not 
excepting  a  Nicodemus,  utterly  Christless !  Two  good 
things,  on  their  own  showing,  could  be  said  of  him  whom 
they  silenced  :  he  was  well  occupied,  and  he  seemed  to  have 
a  most  devout  regard  for  Jesus  ;  for  he  cast  out  devils,  and 
he  did  it  in  Jesus'  name.  These  were  not  indeed  decisive 
marks  of  discipleship,  for  it  was  possible  that  a  man  might 
practise  exorcism  for  gain,  and  use  the  name  of  Christ 
because  it  had  been  proved  to  be  a  good  name  to  conjure  by ; 

'  The  Tubingen  school  regard  this  designation  as  without  foundation,  and  hold  that 
the  true  character  of  John  is  to  be  learnt  from  the  synoptical  Gospels  and  the  Book  of 
Revelation.  In  this  paragraph,  as  in  other  passages  {vide  next  chapter),  our  aim  is  to 
supply  hints  of  a  proof  that  it  is  psychologically  possible  that  John  might  be  both  the 
son  of  thunder  and  the  apostle  of  love. 


232  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

but  they  ought  to  have  been  regarded  as  at  least  presump- 
tive evidence  in  favor  of  one  in  whose  conduct  they  appeared. 
Judging  by  the  facts,  it  was  probable  that  the  silenced 
exorcist  was  an  honest  and  sincere  man,  whose  heart  had 
been  impressed  by  the  ministry  of  Jesus  and  His  disciples, 
and  who  desired  to  imitate  their  zeal  in  doing  good.  It  was 
even  possible  that  he  was  more  than  this — a  man  possessing 
higher  spiritual  endowment  than  his  censors,  some  provincial 
prophet  as  yet  unknown  to  fame.  How  preposterous,  in 
view  of  such  a  possibility,  that  narrow  outward  test,  "  Not 
with  us  "  ! 

As  an  illustration  of  what  this  way  of  judging  lands  in, 
one  little  fact  in  the  history  of  the  celebrated  Sir  Matthew 
Hale,  whose  Contemplations  are  familiar  to  all  readers  of 
devout  literature,  may  here  be  introduced.  Richard  Baxter 
relates  that  the  good  people  in  the  part  of  the  country  where 
the  distinguished  judge  resided,  after  his  retirement  from 
the  judicial  bench,  did  not  entertain  a  favorable  opinion  of 
his  religious  character,  their  notion  being  that  he  was 
certainly  a  very  moral  man,  but  not  converted.  It  was  a 
serious  conclusion  to  come  to  about  a  fellow-creature,  and 
one  is  curious  to  know  on  what  so  solemn  a  judgment  was 
based.  The  author  of  the  Saint's  Rest  gives  us  the  needful 
information  on  this  momentous  point.  The  pious  folks 
about  Acton,  he  tells  us,  ranked  the  ex-judge  among  the 
unconverted,  because  he  did  not  frequent  their  private  weekly 
prayer-meetings  !  It  was  the  old  story  of  the  twelve  and  the 
exorcist  under  a  new  Puritanic  form.  Baxter,  it  is  needless 
to  say,  did  not  sympathize  with  the  harsh,  uncharitable 
opinion  of  his  less  enlightened  brethren.  His  thoughts 
breathed  the  gentle,  benignant,  humble,  charitable  spirit  of 
Christian  maturity.  "  I,"  he  adds,  after  relating  the  fact 
above  stated,  "  I  that  have  heard  and  read  his  serious  expres- 
sions of  the  concernments  of  eternity,  and  seen  his  love  to 
all  good  men,  and  the  blamelessness  of  his  life,  thought 
better  of  his  piety  than  of  mine  own."  ' 

In  silencing  the  exorcist  the  twelve  were  probably  actuated 
by  a  mixture  of  motives  —  partly  by  jealousy,  and  partly  by 
conscientious  scruples.     They  disliked,  we  imagine,  the  idea 

'  Reliquice  BaxteriancB,  Part  iii.  p.  47. 


Training  iit   Temper,  233 

of  any  one  using  Christ's  name  but  themselves,  desiring  a 
monopoly  of  the  power  conferred  by  that  name  to  cast  out 
evil  spirits ;  and  they  probably  thought  it  unlikely,  if  not 
impossible,  that  any  one  who  kept  aloof  from  them  could  be 
sincerely  devoted  to  their  Master. 

In  so  far  as  the  disciples  acted  under  the  influence  of 
jealousy,  their  conduct  towards  the  exorcist  was  morally  of  a 
piece  with  their  recent  dispute  who  should  be  the  greatest. 
The  same  spirit  of  pride  revealed  itself  on  the  two  occasions 
under  different  phases.  The  silencing  of  the  exorcist  was  a 
display  of  arrogance  analogous  to  that  of  those  who  advance 
for  their  church  the  claim  to  be  exclusively  the  church  of 
Christ.  In  their  dispute  among  themselves,  the  disciples 
played  on  a  humble  scale  the  game  of  ambitious,  self-seeking 
ecclesiastics  contending  for  seats  of  honor  and  power.  In 
the  one  case  the  twelve  said  in  effect  to  the  man  whom  they 
found  casting  out  devils  :  We  are  the  sole  commissioned, 
authorized  agents  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  in  the  other 
case  they  said  to  each  other  :  We  are  all  members  of  the 
kingdom  and  servants  of  the  King ;  but  I  deserve  to  have 
a  higher  place  than  thou,  even  to  be  a  prelate  sitting  on  a 
throne. 

In  so  far  as  the  intolerance  of  the  twelve  was  due  to  honest 
scrupulosity,  it  is  deserving  of  more  respectful  consideration. 
The  plea  of  conscience,  Jionestly  advanced,  must  always  be 
listened  to  with  serious  attention,  even  when  it  is  mistaken. 
We  say  "honestly"  with  emphasis,  because  we  cannot  forget 
that  there  is  much  scrupulosity  that  is  not  honest.  Con- 
science is  often  used  as  a  stalking-horse  by  proud,  quarrel- 
some, self-willed  men  to  promote  their  own  private  ends. 
Pride,  says  one,  speaking  of  doctrinal  disputes,  "is  the 
greatest  enemy  of  moderation.  This  makes  men  stickle 
for  their  opinions  to  make  them  fundamental.  Proud  men, 
having  deeply  studied  some  additional  point  in  divinity,  will 
strive  to  make  the  same  necessary  to  salvation,  to  enhance 
the  value  of  their  own  worth  and  pains  ;  and  it  must  needs 
be  fundamental  in  religion,  because  it  is  fundamental  to  their 
reputation."  '  These  shrewd  remarks  hold  good  of  other 
things  besides  doctrine.      Opinionative,  pragmatic  persons, 

*  Thomas  Fuller,  Holy  State,  bk.  iii.  c.  20. 


234  ^^^   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

would  make  every  thing  in  religion  fundamental  on  which  they 
have  decided  views  ;  and  if  they  could  get  their  own  way, 
they  would  exclude  from  the  church  all  who  held  not  with 
them  in  the  very  minutiae  of  belief  and  practice.  But  there 
is  such  a  thing  also  as  honest  scrupulosity,  and  it  is  more 
common  than  many  imagine.  There  is  a  certain  tendency  to 
intolerant  exaction,  and  to  severity  in  judging,  in  the  unripe 
stage  of  every  earnest  life.  For  the  conscience  of  a  young 
disciple  is  like  a  fire  of  green  logs,  which  smokes  first  before 
it  burns  with  a  clear  blaze.  And  a  Christian  whose  conscience 
is  in  this  state  must  be  treated  as  we  treat  a  dull  fire  :  he 
must  be  borne  with,  that  is,  till  his  conscience  clear  itself  of 
bitter,  cloudy  smoke,  and  become  a  pure,  genial,  warm  flame 
of  zeal  tempered  by  charity. 

That  the  scrupulosity  of  the  twelve  was  of  the  honest  kind, 
we  believe  for  this  reason,  that  they  were  willing  to  be 
instructed.  They  told  their  Master  what  they  had  done,  that 
they  might  learn  from  Him  whether  it  was  right  or  wrong. 
This  is  not  the  way  of  men  whose  plea  of  conscience  is  a 
pretext. 

The  instruction  honestly  desired  by  the  disciples,  Jesus 
promptly  communicated  in  the  form  of  a  clear,  definite  judg- 
ment on  the  case,  with  a  reason  annexed.  "  Forbid  him 
not,"  He  replied  to  John,  "for  he  that  is  not  against  us  is 
for  us."  • 

The  reason  assigned  for  this  counsel  of  tolerance  reminds 
us  of  another  maxim  uttered  by  Jesus  on  the  occasion  when 
the  Pharisees  brought  against  Him  the  blasphemous  charge 
of  casting  out  devils  by  aid  of  Beelzebub.^  The  two  sayings 
have  a  superficial  aspect  of  contradiction  :  one  seeming  to 
say.  The  great  matter  is  not  to  be  decidedly  against ;  the 
other.  The  great  matter  is  to  be  decidedly  for.  But  they  are 
harmonized  by  a  truth  underlying  both  —  that  the  cardinal 
matter  in  spiritual  character  is  the  bias  of  the  heart.  Here 
Jesus  says  :  "  If  the  heart  of  a  man  be  with  me,  then,  though 
by  ignorance,  error,  isolation  from  those  who  are  avowedly 
my  friends,  he  may  seem  to  be  against  me,  he  is  really  for 
me,"  In  the  other  case  He  meant  to  say  :  "  If  a  man  be  not 
in  heart  with  me  (the  case  of  the  Pharisees),  then,  though 

»  Mark  ix.  39,  40  (Luke  has  "you"  for  "us").  *  Matt.  xii.  30. 


Training  in  Temper.  235 

by  his  orthodoxy  and  his  zeal  he  may  seem  to  be  on  God's 
side,  and  therefore  on  mine,  he  is  in  reaUty  against  me." 

To  the  words  just  commented  on,  Mark  adds  the  following, 
as  spoken  by  Jesus  at  this  time  :  "  There  is  no  man  that 
shall  do  a  miracle  in  my  name  that  can  lightly  speak  evil 
of  me."  The  voice  of  wisdom  and  charity  united  is  audible 
here.  The  emphasis  is  on  the  word  rayy,  lightly  or  readily. 
This  word,  in  the  first  place,  involves  the  admission  that  the 
case  supposed  might  happen  ;  an  admission  demanded  by 
historical  truth,  for  such  cases  did  actually  occur  in  after 
days.  Luke  tells,  e.g.,  of  certain  vagabond  Jews  (in  every 
sense  well  named)  who  took  upon  them  to  call  over  demoniacs 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  without  any  personal  faith  in 
Him,  but  simply  in  the  way  of  trade,  being  vile  traffickers  in 
exorcism  for  whom  even  the  devils  expressed  their  contempt, 
exclaiming,  "Jesus  I  know,  and  Paul  I  know,  but  who  are 
ye.''"'  Our  Lord  knowing  before  that  such  cases  would 
happen,  and  being  acquainted  with  the  depths  of  human 
depravity,  could  not  do  otherwise  than  admit  the  possibility 
of  the  exorcist  referred  to  by  John  being  animated  by  un- 
worthy motives.  But  while  making  the  admission.  He  took 
care  to  indicate  that,  in  His  judgment,  the  case  supposed 
was  very  improbable,  and  that  it  was  very  unlikely  that  one 
who  did  a  miracle  in  His  name  would  speak  evil  of  Him. 
And  He  desired  His  discpies  to  be  on  their  guard  against 
readily  and  lightly  believing  that  any  man  could  be  guilty 
of  such  a  sin.  Till  strong  reasons  for  thinking  otherwise 
appeared.  He  would  have  them  charitably  regard  the  outward 
action  as  the  index  of  sincere  faith  and  love  (which  they 
might  the  more  easily  do  then,  when  nothing  was  to  be  gained 
by  the  use  or  profession  of  Christ's  name,  but  the  displeasure 
of  those  who  had  the  characters  and  lives  of  men  in  their 
power). 

Such  were  the  wise,  gracious  words  spoken  by  Jesus  with 
reference  to  the  case  brought  up  for  judgment  by  John.  Is 
it  possible  to  extract  any  lessons  from  these  words  of  general 
application  to  the  church  in  all  ages,  or  specially  applicable 
to  our  own  age  in  particular  .-'  It  is  a  question  on  which  one 
must  speak  with  diffidence  ;  for  while  all  bow  to  the  judgment 

•  Acts  xix.  13. 


236  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

of  Jesus  on  the  conduct  of  His  disciples,  as  recorded  in  the 
Gospels,  there  is  much  difference  among  Christians  as  to 
the  inferences  to  be  drawn  therefrom,  in  reference  to  cases  in 
which  their  own  conduct  is  concerned.  The  following  reflec- 
tions, may,  however,  safely  be  hazarded  :  — 

1.  We  may  learn  from  the  discreet,  loving  words  of  the 
great  Teacher  to  beware  of  hasty  conclusions  concerning 
men's  spiritual  state  based  on  merely  external  indications. 
Say  not  with  the  Church  of  Rome,  "  Out  of  our  communion 
is  no  possibility  of  salvation  or  of  goodness;"  but  rather 
admit  that  even  in  that  corrupt  communion  may  be  many 
building  on  the  true  foundation,  though,  for  the  most  part, 
with  very  combustible  materials  ;  nay,  that  Christ  may  have 
not  a  few  friends  outside  the  pale  of  all  the  churches.  Ask 
not  with  Nathanael,  "  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of 
Nazareth  .'* "  but  remember  that  the  best  things  may  come 
out  of  most  unexpected  quarters.  Be  not  forgetful  to  enter- 
tain strangers,  for  thereby  some  have  entertained  angels 
unawares.  Bear  in  mind  that,  by  indulging  in  the  cry,  "Not 
with  us,"  in  reference  to  trifles  and  crotchets,  you  may  tempt 
God,  while  giving  His  Holy  Spirit  to  those  whom  you  un- 
church, to  withdraw  His  influences  from  you  for  your  pride, 
exclusiveness,  and  self-will,  and  may  turn  your  creed  into  a 
prison,  in  which  you  shall  be  shut  out  from  the  fellowship 
of  saints,  and  doomed  to  experience  the  chagrin  of  seeing 
through  the  window-bars  of  your  cell  God's  people  walking 
at  large,  while  you  lie  immured  in  a  jail. 

2.  In  view  of  that  verdict,  "Forbid  him  not,"  one  must 
read  with  a  sad,  sorrowful  heart,  many  pages  of  church 
history,  in  which  the  predominating  spirit  is  that  of  the 
twelve  rather  than  that  of  their  Master.  One  may  confi- 
dently say,  that  had  Christ's  mind  dwelt  more  in  those  called 
by  His  name,  many  things  in  that  history  would  have  been 
different.  Separatism,  censoriousness,  intolerance  of  non- 
conformity, persecution,  would  not  have  been  so  rife ;  Con- 
venticle Acts  and  Five-mile  Acts  would  not  have  disgraced 
the  statute-book  of  the  English  Parliament ;  Bedford  jail 
would  not  have  had  the  honor  of  receiving  the  illustrious 
dreamer  of  the  Pilgrim  's  Progress  as  a  prisoner  ;  Baxter,  and 
Livingstone  of  Ancrum,  and  thousands  more  like-minded,  by 


Training  in   Temper.  237 

whose  stirring  words  multitudes  had  been  quickened  to  a 
new  spiritual  life,  would  not  have  been  driven  from  their 
parishes  and  their  native  lands,  and  forbidden  under  heavy- 
penalties  to  preach  that  gospel  they  understood  and  loved  so 
well,  but  would  have  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  that  law  of  tolera- 
tion which  they  purchased  so  dearly  for  us,  their  children. 

3.  The  divided  state  of  the  church  has  ever  been  a  cause 
of  grief  to  good  men,  and  attempts  have  been  made  to  remedy 
the  evil  by  schemes  of  union.  All  honest  endeavors  having 
in  view  the  healing  of  breaches,  which,  since  the  days  of  the 
Reformation,  have  multiplied  so  greatly  as  to  be  the  oppro- 
brium of  Protestantism,  deserve  our  warmest  sympathies  and 
most  earnest  prayers.  But  we  cannot  be  blind  to  the  fact 
that  through  human  infirmity  such  projects  are  apt  to 
miscarry ;  it  being  extremely  difficult  to  get  a  whole  com- 
munity, embracing  men  of  different  temperaments  and  in 
different  stages  of  Christian  growth,  to  take  the  same  view 
of  the  terms  of  fellowship.  What,  then,  is  the  duty  of 
Christians  meanwhile  .'*  We  may  learn  from  our  Lord's 
judgment  in  the  case  of  the  exorcist.  If  those  who  are  not 
of  our  company  cannot  be  brought  to  enter  into  the  same 
ecclesiastical  organization,  let  us  still  recognize  them  from 
the  heart  as  fellow-disciples  and  fellow-laborers,  and  avail 
ourselves  of  all  lawful  or  open  ways  of  showing  that  we  care 
infinitely  more  for  those  who  truly  love  Christ,  in  whatever 
church  they  be,  than  for  those  who  are  with  us  ecclesiasti- 
cally, but  in  spirit  and  life  are  not  with  Christ,  but  against 
Him.  So  shall  we  have  the  comfort  of  feeling  that,  though 
separated  from  brethren  beloved,  we  are  not  schismatical, 
and  be  able  to  speak  of  the  divided  state  of  the  church  as  a 
thing  that  we  desire  not,  but  merely  endure  because  we 
cannot  help  it. 

Many  religious  people  are  at  fault  here.  There  are  Chris- 
tians not  a  few  who  do  not  believe  in  these  two  articles  of 
the  Apostles'  Creed,  "  the  holy  catholic  church  "  and  "  the 
communion  of  saints."  They  care  little  or  nothing  for  those 
who  are  outside  the  pale  of  their  own  communion  :  they 
practise  brotherly-kindness  most  exemplarily,  but  they  have 
no  charity.  Their  church  is  their  club,  in  which  they  enjoy 
the  comfort  of  associating  with  a  select  number  of  persons, 


238  The   Trai7iing  of  the  Twelve. 

whose  opinions,  whims,  hobbies,  and  ecclesiastical  politics 
entirely  agree  with  their  own ;  every  thing  beyond  in  the 
wide  wide  world  being  regarded  with  cold  indifference,  if 
not  with  passionate  aversion  or  abhorrence.  It  is  one  of 
the  many  ways  in  which  the  spirit  of  religious  legalism,  so 
prevalent  amongst  us,  reveals  itself.  The  spirit  of  adoption 
is  a  catholic  spirit.  The  legal  spirit  is  a  dividing,  sectarian 
spirit,  multiplying  fundamentals,  and  erecting  scruples  into 
principles,  and  so  manufacturing  evermore  new  religious 
sects  or  clubs.  Now  a  club,  ecclesiastical  or  other,  is  a 
very  pleasant  thing  by  way  of  a  luxury ;  but  it  ought  to  be 
remembered  that,  besides  the  club,  and  including  all  the 
clubs,  there  is  the  great  Christian  commonwealth.  This  fact 
will  have  to  be  more  recognized  than  it  has  been  if  church 
life  is  not  to  become  a  mere  imbecility.  To  save  us  from  this 
doom  one  of  two  things  must  take  place.  Either  religious 
people  must  overcome  their  doting  fondness  for  the  mere 
club  fellowship  of  denominationalism,  involving  absolute 
uniformity  in  opinion  and  practice  ;  or  a  sort  of  Amphictyonic 
council  must  be  set  on  foot  as  a  counterpoise  to  sectarian- 
ism, in  which  all  the  sects  shall  find  a  common  meeting- 
place  for  the  discussion  of  great  catholic  questions  bearing 
on  morals,  missions,  education,  and  the  defence  of  cardinal 
truths.  Such  a  council  (utopian  it  will  be  deemed)  would 
have  many  open  questions  in  its  constitution.  In  the  ancient 
Amphictyonic  council  men  were  not  known  as  Athenians  or 
Spartans,  but  as  Greeks  ;  and  in  our  modern  Utopian  one 
men  would  be  known  only  as  Christians,  not  as  Episcopalians, 
Presbyterians,  Independents,  Churchmen,  and  Dissenters. 
It  would  be  such  a  body,  in  fact,  as  the  "  Evangelical 
Alliance  "  of  recent  origin,  created  by  the  craving  for  some 
visible  expression  of  the  feeling  of  catholicity ;  but  not,  like 
it,  amateur,  self-constituted,  and  patronized  (to  a  certain 
extent)  by  persons  alienated  from  all  existing  ecclesiastical 
organizations,  and  disposed  to  substitute  it  as  a  new  church 
in  their  place,  but  consisting  of  representatives  belonging 
to,  and  regularly  elected  and  empowered  by,  the  different 
sections  of  the  church.' 

*  In  recent  years  the  phenomenon  of  "  Pan-presbyterianism  "  has  made  its  appearance. 
It  is  to  be  feared  that  this  movement  will  not  serve  the  cause  of  catholicity,  but  will 


Training  in   Temper.  239 

One  remark  more  we  make  on  this  club  theory  of  church 
fellowship.  Worked  out,  it  secures  at  least  one  object.  It 
breaks  Christians  up  into  small  companies,  and  insures  that 
they  shall  meet  in  twos  and  threes  !  Unhappily,  it  does  not 
at  the  same  time  procure  the  blessing  promised  to  the  two 
or  three.  The  spirit  of  Jesus  dwells  not  in  coteries  of  self- 
willed,  opinionative  men,  but  in  the  great  commonwealth  of 
saints,  and  especially  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  love  the 
whole  body  more  than  any  part,  not  excepting  that  to  which 
they  themselves  belong ;  to  whom  the  Lord  and  Head  of  the 
church  fulfils  His  promise,  by  enriching  them  with  magnani- 
mous heroic  graces,  and  causing  them  to  rise  like  cedars 
above  the  general  level  of  contemporary  character,  and 
endowing  them  with  a  moral  power  which  exercises  an  ever- 
widening  influence  long  after  the  strifes  of  their  age,  and  the 
men  who  delighted  in  them,  have  sunk  into  oblivion. 

rather  work  in  a  purely  antiquarian  direction,  and  serve  the  purpose  of  those  who  would 
bind  the  reformed  churches  to  the  seventeenth  century.  Our  Amphictyonic  council  is 
yet,  like  Plato's  Republic,  in  nubibiis.  Perhaps  disintegration  must  go  farther  before  the 
era  of  reconstruction  arrives.  Or  is  it  ever  to  arrive  ?  Is  the  day  for  catholic  Christianity 
past? 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    SONS    OF    THUNDER. 
Luke  ix.  51  -  56. 

The  delivery  of  the  discourse  on  humility  appears  to  have 
been  the  closing  act  of  our  Lord's  ministry  in  Galilee ;  for 
immediately  after  finishing  their  accounts  of  the  discourse, 
the  two  first  evangelists  proceed  to  speak  of  what  we  have 
reason  to  regard  as  His  final  departure  from  His  native 
province  for  the  south.  "  It  came  to  pass,"  says  Matthew, 
"that  when  Jesus  had  finished  these  sayings,  He  departed 
from  Galilee,  and  came  into  the  coasts  of  Judea." '  Of  this 
journey  neither  Matthew  nor  Mark  gives  any  details  :  they 
do  not  even  mention  Christ's  visit  to  Jerusalem  at  the  feast 
of  dedication  in  winter,  referred  to  by  John,^  from  which  we 
know  that  the  farewell  to  Galilee  took  place  at  least  some 
four  months  before  the  crucifixion.  The  journey,  however, 
was  not  without  its  interesting  incidents,  as  we  know  from 
Luke,  who  has  preserved  several  of  them  in  his  Gospel. ^ 

Of  these  incidents,  that  recorded  in  the  passage  above  cited 
is  one.  For  the  words  with  which  the  evangelist  introduces 
his  narrative  obviously  allude  to  the  same  journey  from 
Galilee  to  the  south,  of  which  Matthew  and  Mark  speak  in 
the  passages  already  referred  to.  The  journey  though 
Samaria  adverted  to  here  by  Luke  occurred  "when  the  time 
was  come   {or  rather  coming)'*  that   He  (Jesus)  should   be 

'  Matt.  xix.  I,  2;  Mark  X.  i. 

*  John  X.  22,  23. 

3  The  journey  through  Samaria,  with  all  accompanying  incidents,  including  the 
mission  of  the  seventy,  the  Tiibingen  critics  regard  as  an  invention  of  the  third  evangelist, 
designed  to  promote  the  cause  of  universalism.  But  such  a  journey,  with  all  that  relates 
to  it,  is  just  as  probable  intrinsically  as  Christ's  intercourse  with  publicans  and  sinners, 
which  was  equally  unconventional,  and  equally  universalistic  in  principle  and  tendency. 
It  is  of  course  freely  admitted  that  Luke's  pronounced  universalism  accounts  for  these 
incidents  finding  a  place  in  his  Gospel  while  they  do  not  appear  in  Matthew  and  Mark. 

*  iv  T(p  (TVfJLTT\r)pov<jBai.- 

240 


The  Sons  of  Thunder.  241 

received  up,"  that  is,  towards  the  close  of  His  life.  Then  the 
peculiar  expression,  "He  steadfastly  set  His  face  to  go  to 
Jerusalem,"  hints  not  obscurely  at  a  final  transference  of  the 
scene  of  Christ's  work  from  the  north  to  the  south.  It  refers 
not  merely  to  the  geographical  direction  in  which  He  was 
going,  but  also,  and  chiefly,  to  the  state  of  mind  in  which  He 
journeyed.  He  went  towards  Jerusalem,  feeling  that  His 
duty  lay  in  and  near  it  henceforth,  as  a  victim  self-consecrated 
to  death,  His  countenance  wearing  a  solemn,  earnest,  dig- 
nified aspect,  expressive  of  the  great  lofty  purpose  by  which 
His  soul  was  animated. 

It  was  natural  that  Luke,  the  companion  of  Paul  and  evan- 
gehst  to  the  Gentiles,  should  carefully  preserve  this  anecdote 
from  the  last  journey  of  Jesus  to  Judea  through  Samaria.  It 
served  admirably  the  purpose  he  kept  in  view  throughout  in 
compiling  his  Gospel  —  that,  viz.,  of  illustrating  the  catho- 
licity of  the  Christian  dispensation  ;  and  therefore  he  gathered 
It  into  his  basket,  that  it  might  not  be  lost.  He  has  brought 
it  in  at  a  very  suitable  place,  just  after  the  anecdote  of  the 
exorcist  ;  for,  not  to  speak  of  the  link  of  association  supplied 
in  the  name  of  John,  the  narrator  in  one  case  and  an  actor  in 
the  other,  this  incident,  like  the  one  recorded  immediately 
before,  exhibits  a  striking  contrast  between  the  harsh  spirit 
of  the  disciples  and  the  gentle,  benignant  spirit  of  their 
Master.  That  contrast  forms  the  moral  interest  of  the 
story. 

''  The  main  fact  in  the  story  was  this.  The  inhabitants  of 
a  certain  Samaritan  village  at  which  Jesus  and  His  travelling 
companions  arrived  at  the  close  of  a  day's  journey  having 
declined,  on  being  requested,  to  give  them  quarters  for  the 
night,  James  and  John  came  to  their  Master,  and  proposed 
that  the  offending  villagers  should  be  destroyed  by  fire  from 
heaven. 

It  was  a  strange  proposal  to  come  from  men  who  had  been 
for  years  disciples  of  Jesus,  and  especially  from  one  who,  like 
John,  had  been  in  the  Master's  company  at  the  time  of  that 
meeting  with  the  woman  by  the  well,  and  heard  the  rapturous 
words  with  which  He  spoke  of  the  glorious  new  era  that  was 
dawning.'      It  shows  how  slow  the  best  are    to    learn    the 

'  John  iv. 


242  The  Traijiing  of  the  Twelve. 

heavenly  doctrine  and  practice  of  charity.  How  startling, 
again,  to  think  of  this  same  John,  a  year  or  two  after  the 
date  of  this  savage  suggestion,  going  down  from  Jerusalem 
and  preaching  the  gospel  of  Jesus  the  crucified  in  "  many  of 
the  villages  of  the  Samaritans," '  possibly  in  this  very  village 
which  he  desired  to  see  destroyed  ! 

Such  are  the  contrasts  which  growth  in  grace  brings.  In 
the  green,  crude  stage  of  the  divine  life,  whose  character- 
istics are  opinionativeness,  censoriousness,  scrupulosity,  intol- 
erance, blind  passionate  zeal,  John  would  play  the  part  of 
a  mimic  Elijah  ;  in  his  spiritual  maturity,  after  the  summer 
sun  of  Pentecost  had  wrought  its  effects  in  his  soul,  and 
sweetened  all  its  acid  juices,  he  became  an  ardent  apostle  of 
salvation,  and  exhibited  in  his  character  the  soft,  luscious 
fruits  of  "love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  good- 
ness, faith,  meekness,  and  self-control."  Such  contrasts  in 
the  same  character  at  different  periods,  however  surprising, 
are  perfectly  natural.  Amid  all  changes  the  elements  of  the 
moral  being  remain  the  same.  The  juice  of  the  ripe  apple  is 
the  same  that  was  in  the  green  fruit,  phis  sun-light  and  sun- 
heat.  The  zeal  of  the  son  of  thunder  did  not  disappear  from 
■John's  nature  after  he  became  an  apostle  ;  it  only  became 
tempered  by  the  light  of  wisdom,  and  softened  by  the  heat 
of  love.  He  did  not  even  cease  to  hate,  and  become  an 
indiscriminately  amiable  individual,  whose  charity  made  no 
distinction  between  good  and  evil.  To  the  last,  John  was 
what  he  was  at  the  first,  an  intense  hater  as  well  as  an  intense 
lover.  But  in  his  later  years  he  knew  better  what  to  hate  — 
the  objects  of  his  abhorrence  being  hypocrisy,  apostasy,  and 
Laodicean  insincerity ;  ^  not,  as  of  old,  mere  ignorant  rude- 
ness and  clownish  incivility.  He  could  distinguish  then 
between  wickedness  and  weakness,   malice  and    prejudice; 

*  Acts  viii. 

2  Vide  Book  of  Revelation,  chaps,  ii.  and  iii.,  commonly  regarded  as  the  latest  of 
John's  writings.  (Reuss,  however  {Theologie  C/ir^i'/c««^),  maintains  it  was  his  earliest.) 
Baur  and  the  Tiibingen  school  generally  hold  that  in  the  Apocalypse  (which  they  reckon 
the  work  of  the  Apostle  John)  the  old  narrowness  appears  unmitigated  in  bitter  hatred 
'of  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  is  supposed  to  be  aimed  at  in  the  words,  "  Thou  hast  tried 
them  which  say  they  are  apostles  and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars,"  out  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Church  of  Ephesus.  This  passage,  and  the  quarrel  between  Peter  and 
Paul  at  Antioch  (Gal.  ii. ),  are  the  principal  Biblical  supports  adduced  by  the  school  for 
.their  famous  conflict-hypothesis. 


The  Sons  of  Thunder.  243 

and  while  cherishing  strong  antipathy  towards  the  one,  he 
felt  only  compassion  towards  the  other. 

To  some  it  may  seem  a  matter  of  wonder  how  a  man 
capable  of  entertaining  so  revolting  a  purpose  as  is  here 
ascribed  to  James  and  John  could  ever  be  the  disciple  whom 
Jesus  loved.  To  understand  this,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  Jesus,  unlike  most  men,  could  love  a  disciple  not  merely 
for  what  he  was,  but  for  what  he  should  become.  He  could 
regard  with  complacency  even  sour  grapes  in  their  season 
for  the  sake  of  the  goodly  fruit  into  which  they  should  ripen. 
Then,  further,  we  must  not  forget  that  John,  even  when 
possessed  by  the  devil  of  resentment,  was  animated  by  a 
purer  and  holier  spirit.  Along  with  the  smoke  of  carnal 
passion  there  was  some  divine  fire  in  his  heart.  He  loved 
Jesus  as  intensely  as  he  hated  the  Samaritans  ;  it  was  his 
devoted  attachment  to  his  Master  that  made  him  resent  their 
incivility  so  keenly.  In  his  tender  love  for  the  Bridegroom 
of  his  soul,  he  was  beautiful  as  a  mother  overflowing  with 
affection  in  the  bosom  of  her  family ;  though  in  his  hatred 
he  was  terrible  as  the  same  mother  can  be  in  her  enmity 
against  her  family's  foes.  John's  nature,  in  fact,  was  femi- 
nine both  in  its  virtues  and  in  its  faults,  and,  like  all  feminine 
natures,  could  be  both  exquisitely  sweet  and  exquisitely 
bitter.' 

Passing  now  from  personal  remarks  on  John  himself  to  the 
truculent  proposal  emanating  from  him  and  his  brother,  we 
must  beware  of  regarding  it  in  the  light  of  a  mere  extravagant 
ebullition  of  temper  consequent  upon  a  refusal  of  hospitality. 
No  doubt  the  two  brethren  and  all  their  fellow-disciples  were 
annoyed  by  the  unexpected  incivility,  nor  can  one  wonder  if 
it  put  them  out  of  humor.  Weary  men  are  easily  irritated, 
and  it  was  not  pleasant  to  be  obliged  to  trudge  on  to  another 
village  after  the  fatigues  of  a  day's  journey.  But  we  have 
too  good  an  opinion  of  the  twelve  to  fancy  any  of  them 
capable  of  revenging  rudeness  by  murder. 

The  savage  mood  of  James  and  John  is  not  even  thoroughly 
explained  by  the  recollection  that  the  churlish  villagers  were 
Samaritans,  and  that  they  were  Jews.  The  chronic  ill-will 
between  the  two  races  had  unquestionably  its  own  influence 

*  Conf.  remarks  on  John  at  pp.  230,  231. 


244  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

in  producing  ill-feeling  on  both  sides.  The  nationality  of  the 
jravellers  was  one,  if  not  the  sole  reason,  why  the  villagers 
refused  them  quarters.  They  were  Galilean  Jews  going 
southwards  to  Jerusalem,  and  that  was  enough.  Then  the 
twelve,  as  Jews,  were  just  as  ready  to  take  offence  as  the 
Samaritan  villagers  were  to  give  it.  The  powder  of  national 
enmity  was  stored  up  in  their  breasts  ;  and  a  spark,  one  rude 
word  or  insolent  gesture,  was  enough  to  cause  an  explosion. 
Though  they  had  been  for  years  with  Jesus,  there  was  still 
much  more  of  the  old  Jewish  man  than  of  the  new  Christian 
man  in  them.  If  they  had  been  left  to  the  freedom 
of  their  own  will,  they  would  probably  have  avoided  the 
Samaritan  territory  altogether,  and,  like  the  rest  of  their 
countrymen,  taken  a  roundabout  way  to  Jerusalem  by  cross- 
ing to  the  eastward  of  the  Jordan.  Between  persons  so 
affected  towards  each  other  offences  are  sure  to  arise. 
When  Guelph  and  Ghibeline,  Orangemen  and  Ribbonmen, 
Cavalier  and  Roundhead  meet,  it  does  not  take  much  to 
make  a  quarrel. 

But  there  was  something  more  at  work  in  the  minds  of  the 
two  disciples  than  party  passion.  There  was  conscience  in 
their  quarrel  as  well  as  temper  and  hereditary  enmities.  This 
is  evident,  both  from  the  deliberate  manner  in  which  they 
made  their  proposal  to  Jesus,  and  from  the  reason  by  which 
they  sought  to  justify  it.  They  came  to  their  Master,  and 
said,  "Wilt  Thou  that  we  command  fire  to  come  down  from 
heaven,  and  consume  them  t  "  entertaining  no  doubt  appar- 
ently of  obtaining  His  approval,  and  of  procuring  forthwith 
the  requisite  fire  from  heaven  for  the  execution  of  their  dire 
intent.  Then  they  quoted  the  precedent  of  Elijah,  who, 
refusing  to  have  any  dealings  with  the  idolatrous  king  of 
Samaria,  called  down  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  his 
messengers,  as  a  signal  mark  of  divine  displeasure.'  The 
conscious  motive  by  which  they  were  actuated  was  evidently 
sincere,  though  ill-informed,  jealousy  for  the  honor  of  their 
Lord.  As  the  prophet  of  fire  was  indignant  at  the  conduct 
of  King  Ahaziah  in  sending  messengers  to  the  god  of  Ekron, 
Kaalzebub  by  name,  to  inquire  whether  he  should   recover 

'  The  words  i?  <cal  'HAi'a?  en-oiVe  are  a  doubtful  reading.  It  is  evident,  however,  that 
Ihe  two  disciples  must  have  had  Elias  in  mind  when  they  made  their  proposal. 


The  Sons  of  Thunder.  245 

from  the  disease  with  which  he  was  afflicted  ; '  so  the  sons 
of  thunder  were  indignant  because  inhabitants  of  the  same 
godless  territory  over  which  Ahaziah  ruled  had  presumed  to 
insult  their  revered  Master  by  refusing  a  favor  which  they 
ought  to  have  been  only  too  proud  to  have  an  opportunity 
of  granting. 

The  two  brothers  thought  they  did  well  to  be  angry ;  and, 
if  they  had  been  minded  to  defend  their  conduct  after  it  was 
condemned  by  Jesus,  which  they  do  not  seem  to  have  been, 
they  might  have  made  a  defence  by  no  means  destitute 
of  plausibility.  For  consider  who  these  Samaritans  were. 
They  belonged  to  a  mongrel  race,  sprung  from  heathen 
Assyrians,  whose  presence  in  the  land  was  a  humiliation, 
and  from  base,  degenerate  Israelites  unworthy  of  the  name. 
Their  forefathers  had  been  the  bitter  enemies  of  Judah  in 
the  days  of  Nehemiah,  spitefully  obstructing  the  building  of 
Zion's  walls,  instead  of  helping  the  exiles  in  their  hour 
of  need,  as  neighbors  ought  to  have  done.  Then,  if  it  was 
unfair  to  hold  the  present  generation  responsible  for  the  sins 
of  past  generations,  what  was  the  character  of  the  Samaritans 
then  living }  Were  they  not  blasphemous  heretics,  who 
rejected  all  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  save  the  five  books 
of  Moses .''  Did  they  not  worship  at  the  site  of  the  rival 
temple  on  Gerizim,^  which  their  fathers  had  with  impious 
effrontery  erected  in  contempt  of  the  true  temple  of  God  in 
the  holy  city .-'  And  finally,  had  not  these  villagers  expressed 
their  sympathy  with  all  the  iniquities  of  their  people,  and 
repeated  them  all  in  one  act  by  doing  dishonor  to  Him  who 
was  greater  than  even  the  true  temple,  and  worthy  not  only 
to  receive  common  civility,  but  even  divine  worship  1 

Ruthless  persecutors  and  furious  zealots,  furnished  with 
such  plausible  pleas,  have  always  been  confident,  like  the  two 
disciples,  that  they  did  God  service.  It  is  of  the  very  nature 
of  zealotry  to  make  the  man  of  whom  it  has  taken  possession 
believe  that  the  Almighty  not  only  approves,  but  shares  his 
fierce  passions,  and  fancy  himself  intrusted  with  a  carte 
blanche  to  launch  the  thunders  of  the  Most  High  against  all 

'  2  Kings  i. 

^  The  temple  was  destroyed  a  hundred  years  before  Christ  by  Hyrcanus  the  high 
priest. — Joseph.  Antiq.  Jud.  xiii.  9.  i. 


246  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

in  whom  his  small,  peering,  inhuman  eye  can  discern  aught 
not  approved  by  his  tyrannic  conscience.  What  a  world 
were  this  if  the  fact  were  so  indeed  ! 

"  Every  pelting,  petty  officer 
Would  use  God's  heaven  for  thunder ;  nothing  but  thunder." 

Thank  God  the  fact  is  not  so  !  The  Almighty  does  thunder 
sometimes,  but  not  in  the  way  His  petty  officers  would  wish. 

"  Merciful  Heaven ! 
Thou  rather,  with  Thy  sharp  and  sulphurous  bolt, 
Splitt'st  the  unwedgeable  and  gnarled  oak 
Than  the  soft  myrtle." 

Jesus  too,  all  gentle  as  He  was,  had  His  thunderbolts  ;  but 
He  reserved  them  for  other  objects  than  poor,  benighted, 
prejudiced  Samaritans.  His  zeal  was  directed  against  great 
sins,  and  powerful,  privileged,  presumptuous  sinners  ;  not 
against  little  sins,  or  poor,  obscure,  vulgar  sinners.  He 
burst  into  indignation  at  the  sight  of  His  Father's  house 
turned  into  a  den  of  thieves  by  those  who  ought  to  have 
known,  and  did  know  better ;  He  only  felt  compassion  for 
those  who,  like  the  woman  by  the  well,  knew  not  what  they 
worshipped,  and  groped  after  God  in  semi-heathen  darkness. 
His  spirit  was  kindled  within  Him  at  the  spectacle  of  osten- 
tatious orthodoxy  and  piety  allied  to  the  grossest  worldliness  ; 
He  did  not,  like  the  Pharisee,  blaze  up  in  sanctimonious  wrath 
against  irreligious  publicans,  who  might  do  no  worship  at  all, 
or  who,  like  the  heretical  Samaritans,  did  not  worship  in  the 
right  place.  Would  that  zeal  like  that  of  Jesus,  aiming  its 
bolts  at  the  proud  oak  and  sparing  the  humble  shrub,  were 
more  common  !  But  such  zeal  is  dangerous,  and  therefore  it 
will  always  be  rare. 

The  Master,  in  whose  vindication  the  two  disciples  wished 
to  call  down  heaven's  destroying  fire,  lost  no  time  in  making 
known  His  utter  want  of  sympathy  with  the  monstrous 
proposal.  He  turned  and  rebuked  them.  According  to  the 
old  English  version.  He  said,  "Ye  jcnovv  not  \y hat  manner 
of  spirit  ye  are  of." '  It  is  a  doubtful  reading,  and  as  such  is 
omitted  in  our  Revised  Version,  but  it  is  a  true  saying. 

*  Luke  ix.  55. 


The  Sons  of  Thunder.  247 

The  saying  was  true  in  more  senses  than  one.  The  spirit 
of  James  and  John  was,  in  the  first  place,  not  such  as  they 
fancied.  They  thought  themselves  actuated  by  zeal  for  the 
glory  of  their  Lord,  and  so  they  were  in  part.  But  the  flame 
of  their  zeal  was  not  pure  :  it  was  mixed  up  with  the  bitter 
smoke  of  carnal  passions,  anger,  pride,  self-will.  Then,  again, 
their  spirit  was  not  such  as  became  the  apostles  of  the 
gospel,  the  heralds  of  a  new  era  of  grace.  They  were  chosen 
to  preach  a  message  of  mercy  to  every  creature,  even  to  the 
chief  of  sinners  ;  to  tell  of  a  love  that  suffered  not  itself  to  be 
overcome  of  evil,  but  sought  to  overcome  evil  with  good; 
to  found  a  kingdom  composed  of  citizens  from  every  nation, 
wherein  should  be  neither  Jew  nor  Samaritan,  but  Christ  all 
and  in  all.  What  a  work  to  be  achieved  by  men  filled  with 
the  fire-breathing  spirit  of  the  "  sons  of  thunder  "  !  Obviously 
a  great  change  must  be  wrought  within  them  to  fit  them  for 
the  high  vocation  wherewith  they  have  been  called.  Yet 
again,  the  spirit  of  James  and  John  was,  of  course,  not  that 
of  their  Master.  He  "came  not  to  destroy  men's  lives, 
but  to  save  them."'  To  see  the  difference  between  the  mind 
of  the  disciples  and  that  of  Jesus,  put  this  scene  side  by 
side  with  that  other  which  happened  on  Samaritan  ground  — 
the  meeting  by  the  well.  We  know  what  we  have  seen  here  : 
what  see  we  there }  The  Son  of  man,  as  a  Jew,  speaking  to 
and  having  dealings  with  a  Samaritan,  so  seeking  to  abolish 
inveterate  and  deep-seated  enmities  between  man  and  man  ; 
as  the  Friend  of  sinners  seeking  to  restore  a  poor,  erring, 
guilty  creature  to  God  and  holiness  ;  as  the  Christ  announcing 
the  close  of  an  old  time,  in  which  the  worship  even  of  the 
true  God  was  ritualistic,  exclusive,  and  local,  and  the  advent 
of  a  new  religious  era  characterized  by  the  attributes  of 
spirituality,  universality,  and  catholicity.  And  we  see  Jesus 
rejoicing,  enthusiastic  in  His  work ;  deeming  it  His  very 
meat  and  drink  to  reveal  to  men  one  God  and  Father,  one 
Saviour,  one  life,  for  all  without  distinction ;  to  regenerate 
individual  character,  society,  and  religion ;  to  break  down  all 
barriers  separating  man  from  God  and  from  his  fellow-men, 
and    so  to  become  the  great   Reconciler  and   Peacemaker, 

'  The  words  quoted  are  regarded  by  critics  as  a  gloss ;  but,  like  those  referred  to  in 
the  previous  note,  they  are  true  and  appropriate. 


248  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Thinking  of  this  work  as  exhibited  by  sample  in  the  conver- 
sion of  the  woman  by  the  well,  He  speaks  to  His  surprised 
and  unsympathetic  disciples  as  one  who  perceives  on  the 
eastern  horizon  the  first  faint  streaks  of  light  heralding 
the  advent  of  a  new  glorious  day,  and  all  around,  in  the  field 
of  the  world,  yellow  crops  of  grain  ripe  for  the  sickle.  "  It 
is  coming  on  apace,"  He  says  in  effect,  "the  blessed,  long- 
expected  era,  after  a  long  night  of  spiritual  darkness  ;  the 
new  world  is  about  to  begin  :  lift  up  your  eyes  and  look  on 
the  fields  of  Gentile  lands,  and  see  how  they  be  white  already 
for  the  harvest !  " 

At  the  time  of  the  meeting  by  the  well,  the  disciples  who 
were  with  Jesus  neither  understood  nor  sympathized  with  His 
high  thoughts  and  hopes.  The  bright  prospect  on  which 
His  eyes  were  riveted  was  not  within  their  horizon.  For 
them,  as  for  children,  the  world  was  still  small,  a  narrow  valley 
bounded  by  hills  on  either  side  ;  while  their  Master,  up  on  the 
mountain-top,  saw  many  valleys  beyond,  in  which  He  was 
interested,  and  out  of  which  He  believed  many  souls  would 
find  their  way  into  the  eternal  kingdom.'  For  the  disciples 
God  was  yet  the  God  of  the  Jews  only  ;  salvation  was/(?r  the 
Jews  as  well  as  of  them  :  they  knew  of  only  one  channel  of 
grace  —  Jewish  ordinances  ;  only  one  way  to  heaven  —  that 
which  lay  through  Jerusalem. 

At  the  later  date  to  which  the  present  scene  belongs,  the 
disciples,  instead  of  progressing,  seem  to  have  retrograded. 
Old  bad  feelings  seem  to  be  intensified,  instead  of  being 
replaced  by  new  and  better  ones.  They  are  now  not  merely 
out  of  sympathy  with,  but  in  direct  antagonism  to,  their 
Lord's  mind ;  not  merely  apathetic  or  sceptical  about  the  sal- 
vation of  Samaritans,  but  bent  on  their  destruction.  Aversion 
and  prejudice  have  grown  into  a  paroxysm  of  enmity. 

Yes,  even  so ;  things  must  get  to  the  worst  before  they 
begin  to  mend.  There  will  be  no  improvement  till  the  Lamb 
shall  have  been  slain  to  take  away  sin,  to  abolish  enmities, 
and  to  make  of  twain  one  new  man.  It  is  the  knowledge  of 
that  which  makes  Jesus  set  His  face  so  steadfastly  towards 
Jerusalem.  He  is  eager  to  drink  the  cup  of  suffering,  and 
to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  blood,  because  He  knows 

*  This  thought  was  suggested  by  a  passage  in  Richter's  Plegeljahre. 


The  Sons  of  Thunder.  249 

that  only  thereby  can  He  finish  the  work  whereof  He  spoke  in 
such  glowing  language  on  the  earlier  occasion  to  His  disciples. 
The  very  wrath  of  His  devoted  followers  against  the  Samari- 
tan villagers  makes  Him  quicken  His  pace  on  His  crossward 
way,  saying  to  Himself  sadly  as  He  advances,  "  Let  me  hasten 
on,  for  not  till  I  am  lifted  up  can  these  things  end." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

IN  PER^A  :    OR,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  SELF-SACRIFICE, 

Section  I.  —  Counsels  of  Perfection. 

Matt.  xix.  1-26;  Mark  x.  1-27;  Luke  xviii.  15-27. 

After  His  final  departure  from  Galilee,  Jesus  found  for 
Himself  a  new  place  of  abode  and  scene  of  labor  for  the 
brief  remainder  of  His  life,  in  the  region  lying  to  the  east- 
ward of  the  Jordan,  at  the  lower  end  of  its  course.  "  He 
departed  from  Galilee,  and  came  into  the  borders  of  Judaea 
beyond  Jordan."'  We  may  say  that  He  ended  His  ministry 
where  it  began,  healing  the  sick,  and  teaching  the  high 
doctrines  of  the  kingdom  in  the  place  which  witnessed  His 
consecration  by  baptism  to  His  sacred  work,  and  where  He 
gained  His  first  disciples.^ 

This  visit  of  Jesus  to  Persea  towards  the  close  of  His  career 
is  a  fact  most  interesting  and  significant  in  itself,  apart  alto- 
gether from  its  accompanying  incidents.  It  was  evidently 
so  regarded  by  John,  who  not  less  carefully  than  the  two  first 
evangelists  records  the  fact  of  the  visit,  though,  unlike  them, 
he  gives  no  details  concerning  it.  The  terms  in  which  he 
alludes  to  this  event  are  peculiar.  Having  briefly  explained 
how  Jesus  had  provoked  the  ill-will  of  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem 
at  the  feast  of  dedication,  he  goes  on  to  say:  "Therefore 
they  sought  again  to  take  Him  ;  but  He  escaped  out  of  their 
hands,  and  went  away  again  beyond  Jordan,  into  the  place 
wJicre  JoJin  at  first  baptizcdr '^  The  word  "  again,"  and  the 
reference  to  the  Baptist,  are  indicative  of  reflection  and  recol- 
lection—  windows  letting  us  see  into  John's  heart.  He  is 
thinking  with  emotion  of  his  personal  experiences  connected 
with  the  first  visit  of  Jesus  to  those  sacred  regions,  of  his 

'  Matt.  xix.  I.  "^  See  cli.  i.  ^  John  x.  40. 

250 


In  Percsa :  or,  The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    251 

first  meeting  with  his  beloved  Master,  and  of  the  mystic 
name  given  to  Him  by  the  Baptist,  "the  Lamb  of  God  "  then 
uncomprehended  by  the  disciples,  now  on  the  eve  of  being 
expounded  by  events ;  and  to  the  evangelist  writing  his 
Gospel,  clear  as  day  in  the  bright  light  of  the  cross. 

It  was  hardly  possible  that  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved 
could  do  other  than  think  of  the  first  visit  when  speaking  of 
the  second.  Even  the  multitude,  as  he  records,  reverted 
mentally  to  the  earlier  occasion  while  following  Jesus  in  the 
later.  They  remembered  what  John,  His  forerunner,  had 
said  of  One  among  them  whom  they  knew  not,  and  who  yet 
was  far  greater  than  himself ;  and  they  remarked  that  his 
statements,  however  improbable  they  might  have  appeared 
at  the  time,  had  been  verified  by  events,  and  he  himself 
proved  to  be  a  true  prophet  by  Christ's  miracles,  if  not  by 
his  own.  "John,"  said  they  to  each  other,  "did  no  miracle; 
but  all  things  that  John  said  of  this  man  were  true."  ' 

If  John  the  disciple,  and  even  the  common  people,  thought 
of  the  first  visit  of  Jesus  to  Perasa  at  the  time  of  His  second, 
we  may  be  sure  that  Jesus  Himself  did  so  also.  He  had  His 
own  reasons,  doubt  it  not,  for  going  back  to  that  hallowed 
neighborhood.  His  journey  to  the  Jordan,  we  believe,  was 
a  pilgrimage  to  holy  ground,  on  which  He  could  not  set  His 
foot  without  profound  emotion.  For  there  lay  His  Bethel, 
where  He  had  made  a  solemn  baptismal  vow,  not,  as  Jacob, 
to  give  a  tithe  of  His  substance,  but  to  give  Himself,  body 
and  soul,  a  sacrifice  to  His  Father,  in  life  and  in  death  ; 
there  the  Spirit  had  descended  on  Him  like  a  dove  ;  there 
He  had  heard  a  celestial  voice  of  approval  and  encourage- 
ment, the  reward  of  His  entire  self-surrender  to  His  Father's 
holy  will.  All  the  recollections  of  the  place  were  heart- 
stirring,  recalling  solemn  obligations,  inspiring  holy  hopes, 
urging  Him  on  to  the  grand  consummation  of  His  life-work ; 
charging  Him  by  His  baptism.  His  vows,  the  descent  of  the 
Spirit,  and  the  voice  from  heaven,  to  crown  His  labors  of 
love,  by  drinking  of  the  cup  of  suffering  and  death  for  man's 
redemption.  To  these  voices  of  the  past  He  willingly  opened 
His  ear.  He  wished  to  hear  them,  that  by  their  hallowed 
tones  His  spirit  might  be  braced  and  solemnized  for  the 
coming  agony. 

'  John  X.  41. 


252  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

While  retiring  to  Peraea  for  these  private  reasons,  that  He 
might  muse  on  the  past  and  the  future,  and  link  sacred  memo- 
ries to  solemn  anticipations,  Jesus  did  not  by  any  means  live 
there  a  life  of  seclusion  and  solitary  meditation.  On  the 
contrary,  during  His  sojourn  in  that  neighborhood.  He  was 
unusually  busy  healing  the  sick,  teaching  the  multitude  "as 
He  was  wont "  (so  Mark  states,  with  a  mental  reference  to 
the  past  ministry  in  Galilee),  answering  inquiries,  receiving 
visits,  granting  favors.  "Many  resorted  unto  Him"  there 
on  various  errands.  Pharisees  came,  asking  entangling  ques- 
tions about  marriage  and  divorce,  hoping  to  catch  Him  in  a 
trap,  and  commit  Him  to  the  expression  of  an  opinion  which 
would  make  Him  unpopular  with  some  party  or  school, 
Hillel's  or  Shammai's,'  it  did  not  matter  which.  A  young 
ruler  came  with  more  honorable  intent,  to  inquire  how  he 
might  obtain  eternal  life.  Mothers  came  with  their  little 
ones,  beseeching  for  them  His  blessing,  thinking  it  worth 
getting,  and  not  fearing  denial ;  and  messengers  came  with 
sorrowful  tidings  from  friends,  who  looked  to  Him  as  their 
comfort  in  the  time  of  trouble.^ 

Though  busily  occupied  among  the  thronging  crowd,  Jesus 
contrived  to  have  some  leisure  hours  with  His  chosen  dis- 
ciples, during  which  He  taught  them  some  new  lessons  on 
the  doctrine  of  the  divine  kingdom.  The  subject  of  these 
lessons  was  sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  the  kingdom  — a  theme 
congenial  to  the  place,  the  time,  the  situation,  and  the  mood 
of  the  Teacher.  The  external  occasion  suggesting  that  topic 
was  supplied  by  the  interviews  Jesus  had  had  with  the  Phari- 
sees and  the  young  ruler.  These  interviews  naturally  led 
Him  to  speak  to  His  disciples  on  the  subject  of  self-sacrifice 
under  two  special  forms,  —  abstinence  from  marriage  and 
renunciation  of  property,  —  though  He  did  not  confine  His 
discourse  to  these  points,  but  went  on  to  set  forth  the  rewards 
of  self-sacrifice  in  any  form,  and  the  spirit  in  which  all  sacri- 
fices must  be  performed,  in  order  to  possess  value  in  God's 
sight. 

The  Pharisees,  we  read,  "came  unto  Him,  tempting  Him, 

'  The  question  of  divorce  was  a  subject  of  dispute  between  these  two  schools,  the 
loose  and  the  strict  schools  of  morals  respectively. 
2  John  xi. 


In  Percea  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.     253 

and  saying,  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put  away  his  wife  for 
every  cause  ?  "  To  this  question  Jesus  replied,  by  laying 
down  the  primitive  principle,  that  divorce  was  justified  only 
by  conjugal  infidelity,  and  by  explaining,  that  any  thing  to 
the  contrary  in  the  law  of  Moses  was  simply  an  accommoda- 
tion to  the  hardness  of  men's  hearts.  The  disciples  heard 
this  reply,  and  they  made  their  own  remarks  on  it.  They 
said  to  Jesus  :  "  If  the  case  of  the  man  be  so  with  his  wife, 
it  is  not  good  to  marry."  The  view  enunciated  by  their 
Master,  which  took  no  account  of  incompatibility  of  temper, 
involuntary  dislike,  uncongeniality  of  habits,  differences  in 
religion,  quarrels  among  relatives,  as  pleas  for  separation, 
seemed  very  stringent  even  to  them  ;  and  they  thought  that 
a  man  would  do  well  to  consider  what  he  was  about  before 
committing  himself  to  a  life-long  engagement  with  such 
possibilities  before  him,  and  to  ask  himself  whether  it  would 
not  be  better,  on  the  whole,  to  steer  clear  of  such  a  sea  of 
troubles,  by  abstaining  from  wedlock  altogether. 

The  iniproniptit  remark  of  the  disciples,  viewed  in  connec- 
tion with  its  probable  motives,  was  not  a  very  wise  one  ;  yet 
it  is  to  be  observed  that  Jesus  did  not  absolutely  disapprove 
of  it.  He  spoke  as  if  He  rather  sympathized  with  the  feeling 
in  favor  of  celibacy,  —  as  if  to  abstain  from  marriage  were 
the  better  and  wiser  way,  and  only  not  to  be  required  of 
men  because  for  the  majority  it  was  impracticable.  "But 
he  said  unto  them.  All  men  cannot  receive  this  saying,  save 
they  to  whom  it  is  given."  Then  going  on  to  enumerate  the 
cases  in  which,  from  any  cause,  men  remained  unmarried, 
He  spoke  with  apparent  approbation  of  some  who  voluntarily, 
and  from  high  and  holy  motives,  denied  themselves  the 
comfort  of  family  relationships  :  "  There  be  eunuchs  which 
have  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's 
sake."  Such,  He  finally  gave  His  disciples  to  understand, 
were  to  be  imitated  by  all  who  felt  called  and  able  to  do  so, 
"  He  that  is  able  to  receive  (this  high  virtue),  let  him  receive 
it,"  He  said  ;  hinting  that,  while  many  men  could  not  receive 
it,  but  could  more  easily  endure  all  possible  drawbacks  of 
married  life,  even  on  the  strictest  views  of  conjugal  obliga- 
tion, than  preserve  perfect  chastity  in  an  unmarried  state,  it 
was  well  for  him  who  could  make  himself  a  eunuch  for  the 


254  ^/^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

kingdom  of  heaven,  as  he  would  not  only  escape  much 
trouble,  but  be  free  from  carefulness,  and  be  able  to  serve 
the  kingdom  without  distraction. 

The  other  form  of  self-sacrifice  —  the  renunciation  of 
property  —  became  the  subject  of  remark  between  Jesus  and 
His  disciples,  in  consequence  of  the  interview  with  the  young 
man  who  came  inquiring  about  eternal  life.  Jesus,  reading 
the  heart  of  this  anxious  inquirer,  and  perceiving  that  he 
loved  this  world's  goods  more  than  was  consistent  with  spirit- 
ual freedom  and  entire  singleness  of  mind,  had  concluded 
His  directions  to  him  by  giving  this  counsel :  "  If  thou  wilt 
be  perfect,  go  and  sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the 
poor,  and  then  thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven  :  and  come, 
and  follow  me."  The  young  man  having  thereon  turned 
away  sorrowful,  because,  though  desiring  eternal  life,  he  was 
unwilling  to  obtain  it  at  such  a  price,  Jesus  proceeded  to 
make  his  case  a  subject  of  reflection  for  the  instruction 
of  the  twelve.  In  the  observations  He  made  He  did  not 
expressly  say  that  to  part  with  property  was  necessary  to 
salvation,  but  He  did  speak  in  a  manner  which  seemed 
to  the  disciples  almost  to  imply  that.  Looking  round  about. 
He  remarked  to  them  first,  "  How  hardly  shall  they  that 
have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  !  "  The  disciples 
being  astonished  at  this  hard  saying,  He  softened  it  some- 
what by  altering  slightly  the  form  of  expression.  "  Children," 
he  said,  "  how  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trust  in  riches  to 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  !  "  '  hinting  that  the  thing 
to  be  renounced  in  order  to  salvation  was  not  money,  but  the 
inordinate  love  of  it.  But  then  He  added  a  third  reflection, 
which,  by  its  austerity,  more  than  cancelled  the  mildness  of 
the  second.  "It  is  easier,"  He  declared,  "for  a  camel  to  go 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God."  That  assertion,  literally  inter- 
preted, amounts  to  a  declaration  that  the  salvation  of  a  rich 

'  Mark  x.  24.  The  reading  here,  however,  is  doubtful ;  some  copies  giving  a  reading 
to  this  effect :  "  How  hard  it  is  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  "  (ttui?  hvuKokov  iini.v> 
eis  Trjv  pa(Ti\(iav  toO  OeoO  eio-eAeeif).  Alford  regards  this  reading  as  a  mistake  of  the 
copyist,  due  to  similar  ending  of  (cttlv  and  xflviJ-acrw  (the  words  omitted  being  roi/s 
7r«7roi9oTa?  erri  xP^i"-'"'"')-  '^''''6  abbreviated  reading  is  adopted  by  Tischendorf  (Stli  ed.), 
and  by  Westcott  and  Hort  in  their  valuable  edition  of  the  Greek  Testament.  The 
revisers  adhere  to  the  old  text. 


/;/  Per (2a  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    255 

man  is  an  impossibility,  and  seems  to  teach  by  plain  impli- 
cation, that  the  only  way  for  a  rich  man  to  get  into  heaven 
is  to  cease  to  be  rich,  and  become  poor  by  a  voluntary 
renunciation  of  property.  Such  seems  to  have  been  the 
impression  made  thereby  on  the  minds  of  the  disciples  :  for 
we  read  that  they  were  astonished  above  measure,  and  said 
among  themselves,  "  Who  then  can  be  saved?  "  ' 

It  is  an  inquiry  of  vital  moment  what  our  Lord  really 
meant  to  teach  on  the  subjects  of  marriage  and  money.  The 
question  concerns  not  merely  the  life  to  come,  but  the  whole 
character  of  our  present  life.  For  if  man's  life  on  earth  doth 
not  consist  wholly  in  possessions  and  family  relations,  these 
occupy  a  very  prominent  place  therein.  Family  relations  are 
essential  to  the  existence  of  society,  and  without  wealth  there 
could  be  no  civilization.  Did  Jesus,  then,  frown  or  look  down 
on  these  things,  as  at  least  unfavorable  to,  if  not  incompatible 
with,  the  interests  of  the  divine  kingdom  and  the  aspirations 
of  its  citizens  .'' 

This  question  up  till  the  time  of  the  Reformation  was  for  the 
most  part  answered  by  the  visible  church  in  the  affirmative. 
From  a  very  early  period  the  idea  began  to  be  entertained  that 
Jesus  meant  to  teach  the  intrinsic  superiority,  in  point  of 
Christian  virtue,  of  a  life  of  celibacy  and  voluntary  poverty, 
over  that  of  a  married  man  possessing  property.  Abstinence 
from  marriage  and  renunciation  of  earthly  possessions  came, 
in  consequence,  to  be  regarded  as  essential  requisites  for  high 
Christian  attainments.  They  were  steps  of  the  ladder  by 
which  Christians  rose  to  higher  grades  of  grace  than  were 
attainable  by  men  involved  in  family  cares  and  ties,  and  in 
the  entanglements  of  worldly  substance.  They  were  not, 
indeed,  necessary  to  salvation,  —  to  obtain,  that  is,  a  simple 
admission  into  heaven,  —  but  they  were  necessary  to  obtain 
an  abundant  entrance.  They  were  trials  of  virtue  appointed 
to  be  undergone  by  candidates  for  honors  in  the  city  of  God. 
They  were  indispensable  conditions  of  the  higher  degrees  of 
spiritual  fruitfulness.  A  married  or  rich  Christian  might 
produce  thirty-fold,  but  only  those  who  denied  themselves  the 
enjoyments  of  wealth  and  wedlock  could  bring  forth  sixty- 
fold  or  an  hundred-fold.     While,  therefore,  these  virtues  of 

•  Mark  x.  23-27. 


256  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

abstinence  were  not  to  be  demanded  of  all,  they  were  to  be 
commended  as  "counsels  of  perfection"  to  such  as,  not  con- 
tent to  be  commonplace  Christians,  would  rise  to  the  heroic 
pitch  of  excellence,  and,  despising  a  simple  admission  into 
the  divine  kingdom,  wished  to  occupy  first  places  there. 

This  style  of  thought  is  now  so  antiquated  that  it  is  hard  to 
believe  it  ever  prevailed.  As  a  proof,  however,  that  it  is  no 
invention  of  ours,  take  two  brief  extracts  from  a  distinguished 
bishop  and  martyr  of  the  third  century,  Cyprian  of  Carthage, 
which  are  samples  of  much  of  the  same  kind  to  be  found  in  the 
early  Fathers  of  the  church.  The  one  quotation  proclaims  the 
superior  virtue  of  voluntary  virginity  in  these  terms  :  "Strait 
and  narrow  is  the  way  which  leads  to  life,  hard  and  arduous  is 
the  path  {limes,  narrower  still  than  the  narrow  way)  which 
tends  to  glory.  Along  this  path  of  the  way  go  the  martyrs, 
go  virgins,  go  all  the  just.  For  the  first  (degree  of  fruitful- 
ness),  the  hundred-fold,  is  that  of  the  martyrs  ;  the  second, 
the  sixty-fold,  is  yours  (ye  virgins)."  '  The  second  extract, 
while  ascribing,  like  the  first,  superior  merit  to  virginity, 
indicates  the  optional  character  of  that  high-class  virtue. 
Referring  to  the  words  of  Christ,  "  There  be  eunuchs  which 
have  made  themselves  eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's 
sake,"  Cyprian  says:  "This  the  Lord  commands  not,  but 
exhorts ;  He  imposes  not  the  yoke  of  necessity,  that  the  free 
choice  of  the  will  might  remain.  But  whereas  he  says  (John 
xiv.  2),  that  there  are  many  mansions  with  His  Father,  He 
here  points  out  the  lodging  quarters  of  the  better  mansion 
{inelioj'is  habitaculi  hospitid).  Seek  ye,  O  virgins,  those  better 
mansions.  Crucifying  {castrantcs)  the  desires  of  the  flesh, 
obtain  for  yourselves  the  reward  of  greater  grace  in  the 
celestial  abodes."^ 

Similar  views  were  entertained  in  those  early  ages  respect- 
ing the  meaning  of  Christ's  words  to  the  young  man.  The 
inevitable  results  of  such  interpretations  in  due  course  were 
monastic  institutions  and  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy.  The 
direct  connection  between  an  ascetic  interpretation  of  the 
counsel  given  by  Jesus  to  the  rich  youth  who  inquired  after 

'  De  Discipline,  et  Habitu    Virginutn,  sub  finem   (Clark's    Ante-Nicene   Library, 
Cyprian,  i.  333). 
^  Ex  eodem  libra. 


In  Percsa  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.     257 

eternal  life,  and  the  rise  of  monasticism,  is  apparent  in  the 
history  of  Antony,  the  father  of  the  monastic  system.  It  is 
related  of  him,  that  going  into  the  church  on  one  occasion 
when  the  Gospel  concerning  the  rich  young  man  was  read 
before  the  assembly,  he,  then  also  young,  took  the  words  as 
addressed  by  Heaven  to  himself.  Going  out  of  the  church, 
he  forthwith  proceeded  to  distribute  to  the  inhabitants  of  his 
native  village  his  large,  fertile,  and  beautiful  landed  estates 
which  he  inherited  from  his  fathers,  reserving  only  a  small 
portion  of  his  property  for  the  benefit  of  his  sister.  Not 
long  after  he  gave  away  that  also,  and  placed  his  sister  to  be 
educated  with  a  society  of  pious  virgins,  and  settling  down 
near  his  paternal  mansion,  began  a  life  of  rigid  asceticism.' 

The  ascetic  theory  of  Christian  virtue,  which  so  soon 
began  to  prevail  in  the  church,  has  been  fully  tested  by  time, 
and  proved  to  be  a  huge  and  mischievous  mistake.  The 
verdict  of  history  is  conclusive,  and  to  return  to  an  exploded 
error,  as  some  seem  disposed  to  do,  is  utter  folly.  At  this 
time  of  day,  the  views  of  those  who  would  find  the  beau-ideal 
of  Christian  life  in  a  monk's  cell  appear  hardly  worthy  of 
serious  refutation.  It  may,  however,  be  useful  briefly  to 
indicate  the  leading  errors  of  the  monkish  theory  of  morals ; 
all  the  more  that,  in  doing  this,  we  shall  at  the  same  time 
be  explaining  the  true  meaning  of  our  Lord's  words  to  His 
disciples. 

This  theory,  then,  is  in  the  first  place  based  on  an  erroneous 
assumption — viz.,  that  abstinence  from  things  lawful  is 
intrinsically  a  higher  sort  of  virtue  than  temperance  in  the 
use  of  them.  This  is  not  true.  Abstinence  is  the  virtue  of 
the  weak,  temperance  is  the  virtue  of  the  strong.  Abstinence 
is  certainly  the  safer  way  for  those  who  are  prone  to  inordi- 
nate affection,  but  it  purchases  safety  at  the  expense  of  moral 
culture ;  for  it  removes  us  from  those  temptations  connected 
with  family  relationships  and  earthly  possessions,  through 
which  character,  while  it  may  be  imperilled,  is  at  the  same 
time  developed  and  strengthened.  Abstinence  is  also  inferior 
to  temperance  in  healthiness  of  tone.  It  tends  inevitably  to 
morbidity,    distortion,    exaggeration.      The    ascetic   virtues 

'  Vita  S.  Antonii  (Athanasii).  See  also  Neander,  Church  History,  Clark's  edition, 
ii.  308. 


258  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

were  wont  to  be  called  by  their  admirers  angelic.  They  are 
certainly  angelic  in  the  negative  sense  of  being  unnatural 
and  inhuman.  Ascetic  abstinence  is  the  ghost  or  disem- 
bodied spirit  of  morality,  while  temperance  is  its  soul, 
embodied  in  a  genuine  human  life  transacted  amid  earthly 
relations,  occupations,  and  enjoyments.  Abstinence  is  even 
inferior  to  temperance  in  respect  to  what  seems  its  strong 
point  —  self-sacrifice.  There  is  something  morally  sublime, 
doubtless,  in  the  spectacle  of  a  man  of  wealth,  birth,  high 
office,  and  happy  domestic  condition,  leaving  rank,  riches, 
office,  wife,  children,  behind,  and  going  away  to  the  deserts 
of  Sinai  and  Egypt  to  spend  his  days  as  a  monk  or  anchoret.' 
The  stern  resolution,  the  absolute  mastery  of  the  will  over 
the  natural  affections,  exhibited  in  such  conduct,  is  very 
imposing.  Yet  how  poor,  after  all,  is  such  a  character 
compared  with  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  faithful,  and 
model  of  temperance  and  singleness  of  mind  ;  who  could  use 
the  world,  of  which  he  had  a  large  portion,  without  abusing 
it ;  who  kept  his  wealth  and  state,  and  yet  never  became 
their  slave,  and  was  ready  at  God's  command  to  part  with 
his  friends  and  his  native  land,  and  even  with  an  only  son  ! 
So  to  live,  serving  ourselves  heir  to  all  things,  yet  maintaining 
unimpaired  our  spiritual  freedom  ;  enjoying  life,  yet  ready  at 
the  call  of  duty  to  sacrifice  life's  dearest  enjoyments  :  this  is 
true  Christian  virtue,  the  higher  Christian  life  for  those  who 
would  be  perfect.  Let  us  have  many  Abrahams  so  living 
among  our  men  of  wealth,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  the  church 
going  back  to  the  Middle  Ages.  Only  when  the  rich,  as  a 
class,  are  luxurious,  vain,  selfish,  and  proud,  is  there  a  danger 
of  the  tenet  gaining  credence  among  the  serious,  that  there 
is  no  possibility  of  living  a  truly  Christian  life  except  by 
parting  with  property  altogether. 

The  ascetic  theory  is  also  founded  on  an  error  in  the 
interpretation  of  Christ's  sayings.  These  do  not  assert  or 
necessarily  imply  any  intrinsic  superiority  of  celibacy  and 
voluntary  poverty  over  the  conditions  to  which  they  are 
opposed.  They  only  imply,  that  in  certain  circumstances  the 
unmarried  dispossessed  state    affords    peculiar  facilities  for 

*  We  have  in  view  here  Nilus  of  Constantinople.  See  Isaac  Taylor's  Logic  in 
Theology,  p.  130. 


In  PercEa  :  or^   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    259 

attending  without  distraction  to  the  interests  of  the  divine 
kingdom.  This  is  certainly  true.  It  is  less  easy  sometimes 
to  be  single-minded  in  the  service  of  Christ  as  a  married 
person  than  as  an  unmarried,  as  a  rich  man  than  as  a  poor 
man.  This  is  especially  true  in  times  of  hardship  and  danger, 
when  men  must  either  not  be  on  Christ's  side  at  all,  or  be 
prepared  to  sacrifice  all  for  His  sake.  The  less  one  has 
to  sacrifice  in  such  a  case,  the  easier  it  is  for  him  to  bear  his 
cross  and  play  the  hero  ;  and  he  may  be  pronounced  happy 
at  such  a  crisis  who  has  no  family  to  forsake  and  no  worldly 
concerns  to  distract  him.  Personal  character  may  suffer  from 
such  isolation  :  it  may  lose  geniality,  tenderness,  and  grace, 
and  contract  something  of  inhuman  sternness ;  but  the 
particular  tasks  required  will  be  more  likely  to  be  thoroughly 
done.  On  this  account,  it  may  be  said  with  truth  that  '*  the 
forlorn  hope  in  battle,  as  well  as  in  the  cause  of  Christianity, 
must  consist  of  men  who  have  no  domestic  relations  to  divide 
their  devotion,  who  will  leave  no  wife  nor  children  to  mourn 
over  their  loss."  '  Yet  this  statement  cannot  be  taken  with- 
out qualification.  For  it  is  not  impossible  for  married  and 
wealthy  Christians  to  take  their  place  in  the  forlorn  hope  : 
many  have  done  so,  and  those  who  do  are  the  greatest  heroes 
of  all.  The  advantage  is  not  necessarily  and  invariably  on 
the  side  of  those  who  are  disengaged  from  all  embarrassing 
relationships,  eveji  in  time  of  %var ;  and  in  times  of  peace  it 
is  all  on  the  other  side.  Monks,  like  soldiers,  are  liable  to 
frightful  degeneracy  and  corruption  when  there  are  no  great 
tasks  for  them  to  do.  Men  who  in  emergencies  are  capable, 
in  consequence  of  their  freedom  from  all  domestic  and  secular 
embarrassments,  of  rising  to  an  almost  superhuman  pitch 
of  self-denial,  may  at  other  seasons  sink  to  a  depth  of  self- 
indulgence  in  sloth  and  sensuality  which  is  rarely  seen  in 
those  who  enjoy  the  protecting  influence  of  family  ties  and 
business  engagements.^ 

But  not  to  insist  further  on  this,  and  conceding  frankly  all 
that  can  be  said  in  favor  of  the  unmarried  and  dispossessed 
state  in  connection  with  the  service  of  the  kingdom  in  certain 

'  Robertson  of  Brighton.     Sermons,  series  iii. :  On  Marriage  and  Celibacy. 
2  For  a  dark  picture  of  the  corruption  prevalent  among  the  monastics  in  early  ages, 
see  Isaac  Taylor's  Ancient  Christia7iity. 


26o  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

circumstances,  what  we  are  concerned  to  maintain  is,  that 
nowhere  in  the  Gospel  do  we  find  the  doctrine  taught  that 
such  a  state  is  in  itself  and  essentially  virtuous.  It  is  absurd 
to  say,  as  Renan  does,'  that  the  monk  is  in  a  sense  the  only 
true  Christian.  The  natural  type  of  the  Christian  is  not 
the  monk,  but  the  soldier,  both  of  whom  are  often  placed 
in  the  same  position  in  relation  to  marriage  and  property 
ties,  but  for  altogether  different  reasons.  The  watchword  of 
Christian  ethics  is  not  devotceism,  but  devotion.  Consuming 
devotion  to  the  kingdom  is  the  one  cardinal  virtue  required 
of  all  citizens,  and  every  stern  word  enjoining  self-sacrifice 
is  to  be  interpreted  in  relation  thereto.  "  Let  the  dead  bury 
their  dead;"  "No  man  having  put  his  hand  to  the  plough, 
and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God  ; "  "  If  any 
man  hate  not  father  and  mother,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple  ; " 
"  Sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  come  follow  me  "  —  these  and 
many  other  sayings  of  kindred  import  all  mean  one  thing : 
the  kingdom  first,  every  thing  else  second,  and  when  the 
interest  of  the  holy  state  demands  it,  military  promptitude  in 
leaving  all  and  repairing  to  the  standards.  Essentially  the 
same  idea  is  the  key  to  the  meaning  of  a  difficult  parable 
spoken  to  "the  apostles,"  and  recorded  in  Luke's  Gospel, 
which  we  may  call  the  parable  of  extra  service.^  The  thought 
intended  is  that  the  service  of  the  kingdom  is  very  exacting, 
involving  not  only  hard  toil  in  the  field  through  the  day,  but 
extra  duties  in  the  evening  when  the  weary  laborer  would 
gladly  rest,  having  no  fixed  hours  of  labor,  eight,  ten,  or 
twelve,  but  claiming  the  right  to  summon  to  work  at  any 
hour  of  all  the  twenty-four,  as  in  the  case  of  soldiers  in  time 
of  war,  or  of  farm-laborers  in  time  of  harvest.  And  the  extra 
service,  or  overtime  duty,  is  not  monkish  asceticism,  but 
extraordinary  demands  in  unusual  emergencies,  calling  men 
weary  from  age  or  from  over-exertion  to  still  further  efforts 
and  sacrifices. 

The  theory  under  consideration  is  guilty,  in  the  third 
place,  of  an  error  in  logic.  On  the  assumption  that  absti- 
nence is  necessarily  and  intrinsically  a  higher  virtue  than 
temperance,  it  is  illogical  to  speak  of  it  as  optional.  In 
that  case,  our  Lord    should   have   given  not    counsels,  but 

»  Vie  lie  Jistcs,  p.  328.  ^  Luke  xvii.  7-10. 


In  Peresa  :  or^   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    261 

commands.  For  no  man  is  at  liberty  to  choose  whether  he 
shall  be  a  good  Christian  or  an  indifferent  one,  or  is  excused 
from  practising  certain  virtues  merely  because  they  are 
difficult.  It  is  absolutely  incumbent  on  all  to  press  on 
towards  perfection  ;  and  if  celibacy  and  poverty  be  necessary 
to  perfection,  then  all  who  profess  godliness  should  renounce 
wedlock  and  property.  The  church  of  Rome,  consistently 
with  her  theory  of  morals,  forbids  her  priests  to  marry.  But 
why  stop  there .''  Surely  what  is  good  for  priests  is  good  for 
people  as  well. 

The  reason  why  the  prohibition  is  not  carried  further,  is 
of  course  that  the  laws  of  nature  and  the  requirements  of 
society  render  it  impracticable.  And  this  brings  us  to  the 
last  objection  to  the  ascetic  theory,  viz.  that,  consistently 
carried  out,  it  lands  in  absurdity,  by  involving  the  destruc- 
tion of  society  and  the  human  race.  A  theory  which  involves 
such  consequences  cannot  be  true.  For  the  kingdom  of 
grace  and  the  kingdom  of  nature  are  not  mutually  destructive. 
One  God  is  the  sovereign  of  both  ;  and  all  things  belonging 
to  the  lower  kingdom  —  every  relation  of  life,  every  faculty, 
passion,  and  appetite  of  our  nature,  all  material  possessions 
—  are  capable  of  being  made  subservient  to  the  interests  of 
the  higher  kingdom,  and  of  contributing  to  our  growth  in 
grace  and  holiness. 

The  grand  practical  difficulty  is  to  give  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  His  righteousness  their  due  place  of  supremacy, 
and  to  keep  all  other  things  in  strict  subordination.  The 
object  of  those  hard  sayings  uttered  by  Jesus  in  Perasa  was 
to  fix  the  attention  of  the  disciples  and  of  all  on  that  difficulty. 
He  spoke  so  strongly,  that  men  compassed  by  the  cares  of 
family  and  the  comforts  of  wealth  might  duly  lay  to  heart 
their  danger;  and,  conscious  of  their  own  helplessness,  might 
seek  grace  from  God,  to  do  that  which,  though  difficult,  is 
not  impossible,  viz.  while  married,  to  be  as  if  unmarried, 
caring  for  the  things  of  the  Lord  ;  and  while  rich,  to  be 
humble  in  mind,  free  in  spirit,  and  devoted  in  heart  to  the 
service  of  Christ. 

One  word  may  here  aptly  be  said  on  the  beautiful  incident 
of  the  little  children  brought  to  Jesus  to  get  His  blessing. 
Who  can  believe  that  it  was  His  intention  to  teach  a  monkish 


262  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

theory  of  morals  after  reading  that  story  ?  How  opportunely 
those  mothers  came  to  Him  seeking  a  blessing  for  their 
little  ones,  just  after  He  had  uttered  words  which  might  be 
interpreted,  and  were  actually  interpreted  in  after  ages,  as  a 
disparagement  of  family  relations.  Their  visit  gave  Him  an 
opportunity  of  entering  His  protest  by  anticipation  against 
such  a  misconstruction  of  His  teaching.  And  the  officious 
interference  of  the  twelve  to  keep  away  the  mothers  and 
their  offspring  from  their  Master's  person  only  made  that 
protest  all  the  more  emphatic.  The  disciples  seem  to  have 
taken  from  the  words  Jesus  had  just  spoken  concerning 
abstaining  from  marriage  for  the  sake  of  the  kingdom,  the 
very  impression  out  of  which  monasticism  sprang.  "  What 
does  He  care,"  thought  they,  "for  you  mothers  and  your  chil- 
dren .'*  His  whole  thoughts  are  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
where  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage  :  go 
away,  and  don't  trouble  Him  at  this  time."  The  Lord  did 
not  thank  His  disciples  for  thus  guarding  His  person  from 
intrusion  like  a  band  of  over-zealous  policemen.  "  He  was 
much  displeased,  and  said  unto  them.  Suffer  the  little  children 
to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not :  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  God."  ' 

Section  II.  —  The  Rewards  of  Self-Sacrifice. 

Matt,  xix-  27-30;  Mark  x.  28-31 ;  Luke  xviii.  28-30. 

The  remarks  of  Jesus  on  the  temptations  of  riches,  which 
seemed  so  discouraging  to  the  other  disciples,  had  a  different 
effect  on  the  mind  of  Peter.  They  led  him  to  think  with 
self-complacency  of  the  contrast  presented  by  the  conduct 
of  himself  and  his  brethren  to  that  of  the  youth  who  came 
inquiring  after  eternal  life.  "We,"  thought  he  to  himself, 
have  done  what  the  young  man  could  not  do,  —  what,  accord- 
ing to  the  statement  just  made  by  the  Master,  rich  men  find 
very  hard  to  do ;  we  have  left  all  to  follow  Jesus.  Surely  an 
act  so  difficult  and  so  rare  must  be  very  meritorious."  With 
his  characteristic  frankness,  as  he  thought  so  he  spoke. 
"Behold,"    said    he   with    a  touch  of  brag  in  his  tone  and 

'  Mark  x.  14.  For  an  admirable  defence  of  the  anti-ascetic  interpretation  of  Christ's 
words  to  the  young  rich  man,  see  the  tract  of  Clement  of  Alexandria,  Quis  dives  salvetur. 


In  Percea  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    263 

manner,  "  we  have  forsaken  all,  and  followed  Thee  :  what 
shall  we  have  therefore  ? " 

To  this  question  of  Peter,  Jesus  returned  a  reply  full  at 
once  of  encouragement  and  of  warning  for  the  twelve,  and 
for  all  who  profess  to  be  servants  of  God.  First,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  subject-matter  of  Peter's  inquiry,  He  set  forth  in 
glowing  language  the  great  rewards  in  store  for  him  and 
his  brethren ;  and  not  for  them  only,  but  for  all  who  made 
sacrifices  for  the  kingdom.  Then,  with  reference  to  the  self- 
complacent  or  calculating  spirit  which,  in  part  at  least,  had 
prompted  the  inquiry,  He  added  a  moral  reflection,  with  an 
illustrative  parable  appended,  conveying  the  idea  that  rewards 
in  the  kingdom  of  God  were  not  determined  merely  by  the 
fact,  or  even  by  the  amount,  of  sacrifice.  Many  that  were 
first  in  these  respects  might  be  last  in  real  merit,  for  lack  of 
another  element  which  formed  an  essential  ingredient  in  the 
calculation,  viz.  right  motive ;  while  others  who  were  last  in 
these  respects  might  be  first  in  recompense  in  virtue  of  the 
spirit  by  which  they  were  animated.  We  shall  consider  these 
two  parts  of  the  reply  in  succession.  Our  present  theme  is 
the  reivards  of  self-sacrifice  in  the  divine  kingdom. 

The  first  thing  which  strikes  one  in  reference  to  these 
rewards,  is  the  utter  disproportion  between  them  and  the 
sacrifices  made.  The  twelve  had  forsaken  fishing-boats  and 
nets,  and  they  were  to  be  rewarded  with  thrones  ;  and  every 
one  that  forsakes  any  thing  for  the  kingdom,  no  matter  what 
it  may  be,  is  promised  an  hundred-fold  in  return,  in  this 
present  life,  of  the  very  thing  he  has  renounced,  and  in  the 
world  to  come  life  everlasting. 

These  promises  strikingly  illustrate  the  generosity  of  the 
Master  whom  Christians  serve.  How  easy  it  would  have  been 
for  Jesus  to  depreciate  the  sacrifices  of  His  followers,  and 
even  to  turn  their  glory  into  ridicule  !  "  You  have  forsaken 
all !  What  was  your  all  worth,  pray  .-•  If  the  rich  young  man 
had  parted  with  his  possessions  as  I  counselled,  he  might  have 
had  something  to  boast  of;  but  as  for  you  poor  fishermen,  any 
sacrifices  you  have  made  are  hardly  deserving  of  mention." 
But  such  words  could  not  have  been  uttered  by  Christ's  lips. 
It  was  never  His  way  to  despise  things  small  in  outward  bulk, 
or  to  disparage  services  rendered  to  Himself,  as  if  with  a  view 


264  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

to  diminish  His  own  obligations.  He  rather  loved  to  make 
Himself  a  debtor  to  His  servants,  by  generously  exaggerating 
the  value  of  their  good  deeds,  and  promising  to  them,  as  their 
J'?/ recompense,  rewards  immeasurably  exceeding  their  claims. 
So  He  acted  in  the  present  instance.  Though  the  "all  "  of 
the  disciples  was  a  very  little  one,  He  still  remembered  that 
it  was  their  all ;  and  with  impassioned  earnestness,  with  a 
"verily"  full  of  tender,  grateful  feeling,  He  promised  them 
thrones  as  if  they  had  been  fairly  earned  ! 

These  great  and  precious  promises,  if  believed,  would  make 
sacrifices  easy.  Who  would  not  part  with  a  fishing-boat  for  a 
throne .-"  and  what  merchant  would  stick  at  an  investment 
which  would  bring  a  return,  not  of  five  per  cent.,  or  even  of 
a  hundred  per  cent.,  but  of  a  hundred  to  one  .'* 

The  promises  made  by  Jesus  have  one  other  excellent 
effect  when  duly  considered.  They  tend  to  humble.  Their 
very  magnitude  has  a  sobering  effect  on  the  mind.  Not  even 
the  vainest  can  pretend  that  their  good  deeds  deserve  to  be 
rewarded  with  thrones,  and  their  sacrifices  to  be  recompensed 
an  hundred-fold.  At  this  rate,  all  must  be  content  to  be  debtors 
to  God's  grace,  and  all  talk  of  merit  is  out  of  the  question. 
That  is  one  reason  why  the  rewards  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
are  so  great.  God  bestows  His  gifts  so  as  at  once  to  glorify 
the  Giver  and  to  humble  the  receiver. 

Thus  far  of  the  rewards  in  general.  Looking  now  more 
narrowly  at  those  specially  made  to  the  twelve,  we  remark 
that  on  the  surface  they  seem  fitted  to  awaken  or  foster  false 
expectation.  Whatever  they  meant  in  reality,  there  can  be 
little  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  the  disciples  would  put  on  them 
at  the  time.  The  "  regeneration  "  and  the  "  thrones  "  of 
which  their  Master  spake  would  bring  before  their  imagina- 
tion the  picture  of  a  kingdom  of  Israel  restored,  —  regene- 
rated in  the  sense  in  which  men  speak  of  a  regenerated  Italy, 
—  the  yoke  of  foreign  domination  thrown  off  ;  alienated  tribes 
reconciled  and  re-united  under  the  rule  of  Jesus,  proclaimed 
by  popular  enthusiasm  their  hero  King ;  and  themselves,  the 
men  who  had  first  believed  in  His  royal  pretensions  and 
shared  His  early  fortunes,  rewarded  for  their  fidelity  by  being 
made  provincial  governors,  each  ruling  over  a  separate  tribe. 
These   romantic   ideas  were   never  to  be  realized  :  and  we 


In  Per£Ba  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    265 

naturally  ask  why  Jesus,  knowing  that,  expressed  Himself  in 
language  fitted  to  encourage  such  baseless  fancies  ?  The 
answer  is,  that  Fie  could  not  accomplish  the  end  He  designed, 
which  was  to  inspire  His  disciples  with  hope,  without  express- 
ing His  promise  in  terms  which  involved  the  risk  of  illusion. 
Language  so  chosen  as  to  obviate  all  possibility  of  miscon- 
ception would  have  had  no  inspiring  influence  whatever.  The 
promise,  to  have  any  charm,  must  be  like  a  rainbow,  bright  in 
its  hues,  and  solid  and  substantial  in  its  appearance.  This 
remark  applies  not  only  to  the  particular  promise  now  under 
consideration,  but  more  or  less  to  all  God's  promises  in  Scrip- 
ture or  in  nature.  In  order  to  stimulate,  they  must  to  a 
certain  extent  deceive  us,  by  promising  that  which,  as  we  con- 
ceive it,  and  cannot  at  the  time  help  conceiving  it,  will  never 
be  realized.'  The  rainbow  is  painted  in  such  colors  as  to  draw 
us,  children  as  we  are,  irresistibly  on ;  and  then,  having  served 
that  end,  it  fades  away.  When  this  happens,  we  are  ready 
to  exclaim,  "  O  Lord,  Thou  hast  deceived  me ! "  but  we 
ultimately  find  that  we  are  not  cheated  out  of  the  blessing, 
though  it  comes  in  a  different  form  from  what  we  expected. 
God's  promises  are  never  delusive,  though  they  may  be  illu- 
sive. Such  was  the  experience  of  the  twelve  in  connection 
with  the  dazzling  promise  of  thrones.  They  did  not  get  what 
they  expected ;  but  they  got  something  analogous,  something 
which  to  their  mature  spiritual  judgment  appeared  far  greater 
and  more  satisfying  than  that  on  which  they  had  first  set  their 
hearts.^ 

What,  then,  was  this  Something  .-•  A  real  glory,  honor, 
and  power  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  conferred  on  the  twelve 
as  the  reward  of  their  self-sacrifice,  partially  in  this  life,  per- 
fectly in  the  life  to  come.  In  so  far  as  the  promise  referred 
to  this  present  life,  it  was  shown  by  the  event  to  signify  the 
judicial  legislative  influence  of  the  companions  of  Jesus  as 
apostles  and  founders  of  the  Christian  church.      The  twelve, 

'  See  a  striking  sermon  on  this  point  by  Rev.  F.  W.  Robertson,  in  third  series  of  his 
Sermons.     Subject  —  The  Illusiveiiess  of  Life. 

^  The  question,  What  was  Christ's  doctrine  concerning  the  kingdom  in  its  future  final 
form,  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  in  the  whole  range  of  gospel  studies.  Some  have 
maintained  that  that  doctrine  was  ambiguous,  not  self-consistent,  variable ;  now 
apocalyptic  and  sensuous,  now  ideal  and  spiritual.  Pfleiderer  says  that  the  kingdom,  as 
Christ  set  it  forth,  was  both  spiritual-inward  and  sensuous-outward,  purely  human  and 
religious  and  Judaico-theocratic.     We  cannot  go  critically  into  the  matter  here. 


266  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

as  the  first  preachers  of  the  gospel  trained  by  the  Lord  for 
that  end,  occupied  a  position  in  the  church  that  could  be 
filled  by  none  that  came  after  them.  The  keys  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  were  put  into  their  hands.  They  were  the 
foundation-stones  on  which  the  walls  of  the  church  were 
built.  They  sat,  so  to  speak,  on  episcopal  thrones,  judging, 
guiding,  ruling  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  true  Israel  of  God, 
the  holy  commonwealth  embracing  all  who  professed  faith 
in  Christ.  Such  a  sovereign  influence  the  twelve  apostles 
exerted  in  their  lifetime ;  yea,  they  continue  to  exert  it  still. 
Their  word  not  only  was,  but  still  is,  law ;  their  example  has 
ever  been  regarded  as  binding  on  all  ages.  From  their 
epistles,  as  the  inspired  expositions  of  their  Master's  preg- 
nant sayings,  the  church  has  derived  the  system  of  doctrine 
embraced  in  her  creed.  All  that  remains  of  their  writings 
forms  part  of  the  sacred  canon,  and  all  their  recorded  words 
are  accounted  by  believers  "words  of  God."  Surely  here  is 
power  and  authority  nothing  short  of  regal !  The  reality  of 
sovereignty  is  here,  though  the  trappings  of  royalty,  which 
strike  the  vulgar  eye,  are  wanting.  The  apostles  of  Jesus 
were  princes  indeed,  though  they  wore  no  princely  robes  ;  and 
they  were  destined  to  exercise  a  more  extensive  sway  than 
ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  any  monarch  of  Israel,  not  to  speak  of 
governors  of  single  tribes. 

The  promise  to  the  twelve  had  doubtless  a  reference  to 
their  position  in  the  church  in  heaven  as  well  as  in  the  church 
on  earth.  What  they  will  be  in  the  eternal  kingdom  we 
know  not,  any  more  than  we  know  what  we  ourselves  shall 
be,  our  notions  of  heaven  altogether  being  very  hazy.  We 
believe,  however,  on  the  ground  of  clear  Scripture  statements, 
that  men  will  not  be  on  a  dead  level  in  heaven  any  more 
than  on  earth.  Radicalism  is  not  the  law  of  the  supernal 
commonwealth,  even  as  it  is  not  the  law  in  any  well-ordered 
society  in  this  world.  The  kingdom  of  glory  will  be  but  the 
kingdom  of  grace  perfected,  the  regeneration  begun  here 
brought  to  its  final  and  complete  development.  But  the 
regeneration,  in  its  imperfect  state,  is  an  attempt  to  organize 
men  into  a  society  based  on  the  possession  of  spiritual  life, 
all  being  included  in  the  kingdom  who  are  new  creatures  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  the  highest  place  being  assigned  to  those 


In  Per (2a  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    267 

who  have  attained  the  highest  stature  as  spiritual  men.  This 
ideal  has  never  been  more  than  approximately  realized.  The 
"visible"  church,  the  product  of  the  attempt  to  realize  it,  is, 
and  ever  has  been,  a  most  disappointing  embodiment,  in  out- 
ward visible  shape,  of  the  ideal  city  of  God.  Ambition,  self- 
ishness, worldly  wisdom,  courtly  arts,  have  too  often  procured 
thrones  for  false  apostles,  who  never  forsook  any  thing  for 
Christ.  Therefore  we  still  look  forward  and  upward  with 
longing  eyes  for  the  true  city  of  God,  which  shall  as  far  exceed 
our  loftiest  conceptions  as  the  visible  church  comes  short  of 
them.  In  that  ideal  commonwealth  perfect  moral  order  will 
prevail.  Every  man  shall  be  in  his  own  true  place  there; 
no  vile  men  shall  be  in  high  places,  no  noble  souls  shall  be 
doomed  to  obstruction,  obscurity,  and  neglect ;  but  the  noblest 
will  be  the  highest  and  first,  even  though  now  they  be  the 
lowest  and  last.  "There  shall  be  true  glory,  where  no  one 
shall  be  praised  by  mistake  or  in  flattery ;  true  honor,  which 
shall  be  denied  to  no  one  worthy,  granted  to  no  one  un- 
worthy ;  nor  shall  any  unworthy  one  ambitiously  seek  it, 
where  none  but  the  worthy  are  permitted  to  be." ' 

Among  the  noblest  in  the  supernal  commonwealth  will  be 
the  twelve  men  who  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  Son  of  man,  and 
were  His  companions  in  His  wanderings  and  temptations. 
There  will  probably  be  many  in  heaven  greater  than  they  in 
intellect  and  otherwise  ;  but  the  greatest  will  most  readily 
concede  to  them  the  place  of  honor  as  the  first  to  believe  in 
Jesus,  the  personal  friends  of  the  Man  of  Sorrow,  and  the 
chosen  vessels  who  carried  His  name  to  the  nations,  and  in  a 
sense  opened  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  who  believe.^ 

Such  we  conceive  to  be  the  import  of  the  promise  made  to 
the  apostles,  as  leaders  of  the  v^hite-robed  band  of  martyrs 
and  confessors  who  suffer  for  Christ's  sake.  We  have  next 
to  notice  the  general  promise  made  to  all  the  faithful  indis- 
criminately. "There  is  no  man,"  so  it  runs  in  Mark,  "that 
hath  left  house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother, 
or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  sake  and  the  gospel's, 

'  Augiistini  de  Civitate  Dei,  xxii.  30. 

*  The  superior  rank  of  the  twelve  in  the  eternal  kingdom  is  recognized  in  the  Book  of 
Revelation,  chap.  xxi.  14:  "The  walls  of  the  city  had  twelve  foundations,  and  in  them 
the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb." 


268  The  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

but  he  shall  receive  an  hundred-fold  now  in  this  time,  houses, 
and  brethren,  and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and  children,  and 
lands,  with  persecutions ;  and  in  the  world  to  come  eternal 
life." 

This  promise  also,  like  the  special  one  to  the  twelve,  has  a 
twofold  reference.  Godliness  is  represented  as  profitable  for 
both  worlds.  In  the  world  to  come  the  men  who  make  sacri- 
fices for  Christ  will  receive  eternal  life  ;  in  the  present  they 
shall  receive,  along  with  persecutions,  an  hundred-fold  of  the 
very  things  which  have  been  sacrificed.  As  to  the  former  of 
these,  eternal  life,  it  is  to  be  understood  as  the  minimum 
reward  in  the  great  Hereafter.  All  the  faithful  will  get  that 
at  least.  What  a  maxiimcm  is  \\\2XiJiinimiivi  !  How  blessed 
to  be  assured  on  the  word  of  Christ  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  eternal  life  attainable  on  any  terms  !  We  may  well  play  the 
man  for  truth  and  conscience,  and  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith, 
when,  by  so  doing,  it  is  possible  for  us  to  gain  such  a  prize. 
"A  hope  so  great  and  so  divine  may  trials  well  endure." 
To  win  the  crown  of  an  imperishable  life  of  bliss,  we 
should  not  deem  it  an  unreasonable  demand  on  the  Lord's 
part  that  we  be  faithful  even  unto  death.  Life  sacrificed  on 
these  terms  is  but  a  river  emptying  itself  into  the  ocean, 
or  the  morning  star  losing  itself  in  the  perfect  light  of  day. 
Would  that  we  could  lay  hold  firmly  of  the  blessed  hope  set 
before  us  here,  and  through  its  magic  influence  become  trans- 
formed into  moral  heroes  !  We  in  these  days  have  but  a  faint 
belief  in  the  life  to  come.  Our  eyes  are  dim,  and  we  cannot 
see  the  land  that  is  afar  off.  Some  of  us  have  become  so  philo- 
sophical as  to  imagine  we  can  do  without  the  future  reward 
promised  by  Jesus,  and  play  the  hero  on  atheistical  principles. 
That  remains  to  be  seen.  The  annals  of  the  martyrs  tell  us 
what  men  have  been  able  to  achieve  who  earnestly  believed 
in  the  life  everlasting.  Up  to  this  date  we  have  not  heard  of 
any  great  heroisms  enacted  or  sacrifices  made  by  unbelievers. 
The  martyrology  of  scepticism  has  not  yet  been  written.' 

'  Some  have  referred  to  Buddhism  as  a  system  which  produces  moral  heroism  without 
an  eternal  hope  for  motive.  But  Buddhism  has  an  eternal  hope.  Nirvana,  even  if  it 
mean  annihilation,  was  as  much  an  object  of  hope  to  Buddha  as  heaven  and  everlasting 
life  is  to  a  Christian.  The  dogma  of  transmigration  had  made  continued  life  such  a 
horror,  that  extinction  appeared  a  boon.  Further,  Nirvana  is  not,  like  annihilation  to 
the  materialist,  a  matter  of  physical  necessity  irrespective  of  character  :  it  is  the  high 
reward  of  virtue. 


Ill  Percea  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.    269 

That  part  of  Christ's  promise  which  respects  hereafter  must 
be  taken  on  trust  ;  but  the  other  part,  which  concerns  the 
present  life,  admits  of  being  tested  by  observation.  The 
question,  therefore,  may  competently  be  put  :  Is  it  true,  as 
matter  of  fact,  that  sacrifices  are  recompensed  by  an  hundred- 
fold—  that  is,  a  manifold'  —  return  in  kind  in  this  world? 
To  this  question  we  may  reply,  first,  that  the  promise  will  be 
found  to  hold  good  with  the  regularity  of  a  law,  if  we  do  not 
confine  our  view  to  the  individual  life,  but  include  succes- 
sive generations.  When  providence  has  had  time  to  work 
out  its  results,  the  meek  do,  at  least  by  their  heirs  and  repre- 
sentatives, inherit  the  earth,  and  delight  themselves  in  the 
abundance  of  peace.  The  persecuted  cause  at  length  con- 
quers the  world's  homage,  and  receives  from  it  such  rewards 
as  it  can  bestow.  The  words  of  the  prophet  are  then  ful- 
filled :  "The  children  which  thou  shalt  have,  after  thou  hast 
lost  the  other  (by  persecutor's  hands),  shall  say  again  in  thine 
ears,  The  place  is  too  strait  for  me  :  give  place  to  me  that  I 
may  dwell."  ^  And  again  :  "  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about, 
and  see ;  all  they  gather  themselves  together,  they  come  to 
thee  :  thy  sons  shall  come  from  far,  and  thy  daughters  shall 
be  nursed  at  thy  side.  Then  thou  shalt  see,  and  flow  to- 
gether, and  thine  heart  shall  throb  and  swell ;  because  the 
abundance  of  the  sea  shall  be  converted  unto  thee,  the  wealth 
of  the  Gentiles  shall  come  unto  thee.  Thou  shalt  also  suck 
the  milk  of  the  Gentiles,  and  shalt  suck  the  breast  of  kings. 
For  brass  I  will  bring  gold,  and  for  iron  I  will  bring  silver, 
and  for  wood  brass,  and  for  stones  iron."^  These  prophetic 
promises,  extravagant  though  they  seem,  have  been  fulfilled 
again  and  again  in  the  history  of  the  church  :  in  the  early 
ages,  under  Constantine,  after  the  fires  of  persecution  kindled 
by  pagan  zeal  for  hoary  superstitions  and  idolatries  had  finally 
died  out  ;■*  in  Protestant  Britain,  once  famous  for  men  who 
were  ready  to  lose  all,  and  who  did  actually  lose  much,  for 
Christ's  sake,  now  mistress  of  the  seas,  and  heiress  of  the 

*  ■noKXa.-nXa.aiova,  Luke  xviii.  30. 
^  Isa.  xlix.  20. 

3  Isa.  Ix.  4,  5,  16,  17. 

*  See  sermon  of  Paiilinus  of  Tyre  at  the  consecration  of  his  church,  rebuilt,  like  many 
others,  after  the  last  persecution,  the  churches  having  been  destroyed  by  the  edict  of 
Diocletian.    Euseb.  Hist.  Eccl.  x.  4. 


2  70  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

wealth  of  all  the  world  ;  in  the  new  world  across  the  Atlantic, 
with  its  great,  powerful,  populous  nation,  rivalling  England 
in  wealth  and  strength,  grown  from  a  small  band  of  Puritan 
exiles  who  loved  religious  liberty  better  than  country,  and 
sought  refuge  from  despotism  in  the  savage  wildernesses  of 
an  unexplored  continent. 

Still  it  must  be  confessed  that,  taken  strictly  and  literally, 
the  promise  of  Christ  does  not  hold  good  in  every  instance. 
Multitudes  of  God's  servants  have  had  what  the  world  would 
account  a  miserable  lot.  Does  the  promise,  then,  simply  and 
absolutely  fail  in  their  case .-'  No  ;  for,  secondly,  there  are 
more  ways  than  one  in  which  it  can  be  fulfilled.  Blessings, 
for  example,  may  be  multiplied  an  hundred-fold  without  their 
external  bulk  being  altered,  simply  by  the  act  of  renouncing 
them.  Whatever  is  sacrificed  for  truth,  whatever  we  are 
willing  to  part  with  for  Christ's  sake,  becomes  from  that 
moment  immeasurably  increased  in  value.  Fathers  and 
mothers,  and  all  earthly  friends,  become  unspeakably  dear  to 
the  heart  when  we  have  learned  to  say :  "  Christ  is  first,  and 
these  must  be  second."  Isaac  was  worth  an  hundred  sons 
to  Abraham  when  he  received  him  back  from  the  dead.  Or, 
to  draw  an  illustration  from  another  quarter,  think  of  John 
Bunyan  in  jail  brooding  over  his  poor  blind  daughter,  whorr 
he  left  behind  at  home.  "Poor  child,  thought  I,"  thus  ht 
describes  his  feelings  in  that  inimitable  book,  Grace  Abound- 
ing, "  what  sorrow  art  thou  like  to  have  for  thy  portion  in 
this  world  !  Thou  must  be  beaten,  must  beg,  suffer  hunger, 
cold,  nakedness,  and  a  thousand  calamities,  though  I  cannot 
now  endure  the  wind  should  blow  upon  thee.  But  yet, 
thought  I,  I  must  venture  you  all  with  God,  though  it  goeth 
to  the  quick  to  leave  you.  Oh  !  I  saw  I  was  as  a  man  who 
was  pulling  down  his  house  upon  the  heads  of  his  wife  and 
children  ;  yet  I  thought  on  those  two  milch  kine  that  were  to 
carry  the  ark  of  God  into  another  country,  and  to  leave  their 
calves  behind  them."  If  the  faculty  of  enjoyment  be,  as  it  is, 
the  measure  of  real  possession,  here  was  a  case  in  which  to 
forsake  wife  and  child  was  to  multiply  them  an  hundred-fold, 
and  in  the  multiplied  value  of  the  things  renounced  to  find  a 
rich  solatium  for  sacrifice  and  persecutions.  The  soliloquy 
of  the  Bedford  prisoner  is  the  very  poetry  of  natural  affection. 


In  Percsa  :  or.   The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.     271 

What  pathos  is  in  that  allusion  to  the  milch  kine  !  what  a 
depth  of  tender  feeling  it  reveals  !  The  power  to  feel  so  is 
the  reward  of  self-sacrifice ;  the  power  to  love  so  is  the 
reward  of  "hating"  our  kindred  for  Christ's  sake.  You  shall 
find  no  such  love  among  those  who  make  natural  affection 
an  excuse  for  moral  unfaithfulness,  thinking  it  a  sufficient 
apology  for  disloyalty  to  the  interests  of  the  divine  kingdom 
to  say,  "I  have  a  wife  and  family  to  care  for." 

Without  undue  spiritualizing,  then,  we  see  that  a  valid 
meaning  can  be  assigned  to  the  strong  expression,  "an 
hundred-fold."  And  from  the  remarks  just  made,  we  see 
further  why  "persecutions"  are  thrown  into  the  account,  as 
if  they  were  not  drawbacks,  but  a  part  of  the  gain.  The 
truth  is,  the  hundred-fold  is  realized,  not  in  spite  of  persecu- 
tions, but  to  a  great  extent  because  of  them.  Persecutions 
are  the  salt  with  which  things  sacrificed  are  salted,  the  con- 
diment which  enhances  their  relish.  Or,  to  put  the  matter 
arithmetically,  persecutions  are  the  factor  by  which  earthly 
blessings  given  up  to  God  are  multiplied  an  hundred-fold,  if 
not  in  quantity,  at  least  in  virtue. 

Such  are  the  rewards  provided  for  those  who  make  sacrifices 
for  Christ's  sake.  Their  sacrifices  are  but  a  seed  sown  in 
tears,  from  which  they  afterwards  reap  a  plentiful  harvest 
in  joy.  But  what  now  of  those  who  have  made  no  sacrifices, 
who  have  received  no  wounds  in  battle  t  If  this  has  pro- 
ceeded not  from  lack  of  will,  but  from  lack  of  opportunity, 
they  shall  get  a  share  of  the  rewards.  David's  law  has  its 
place  in  the  divine  kingdom:  "As  his  part  is  that  goeth 
down  to  the  battle,  so  shall  his  part  be  that  tarrieth  by  the 
stuff:  they  shall  part  alike."  Only  all  must  see  to  it  that 
they  remain  not  by  the  stuff  from  cowardice,  or  indolence 
and  self-indulgence.  They  who  act  thus,  declining  to  put 
themselves  to  any  trouble,  to  run  any  risk,  or  even  so  much 
as  to  part  with  a  sinful  lust  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  cannot 
expect  to  find  a  place  therein  at  the  last. 


272  The  Traini7ig  of  the  Twelve. 

Section  III.  —  The  First  Last,  and  the  Last  First. 

Matt.  xix.  30,  xx.  1-20;  Mark  x.  31. 

Having  declared  the  rewards  of  self-sacrifice,  Jesus  pro- 
ceeded to  show  the  risk  of  forfeiture  or  partial  loss  arising 
out  of  the  indulgence  of  unworthy  feelings,  whether  as 
motives  to  self-denying  acts,  or  as  self-complacent  reflec- 
tions on  such  acts  already  performed.  "  But,"  He  said  in  a 
warning  manner,  as  if  with  upraised  finger,  "  many  that  are 
first  shall  be  last,  and  the  last  shall  be  first."  Then,  to 
explain  the  profound  remark,  He  uttered  the  parable  pre- 
served in  Matthew's  Gospel  only,  which  follows  immediately 
after. 

The  explanation  is  in  some  respects  more  difficult  than  the 
thing  to  be  explained,  and  has  given  rise  to  much  diverse 
interpretation.  And  yet  the  main  drift  of  this  parable  seems 
clear  enough.  It  is  not,  as  some  have  supposed,  designed  to 
teach  that  all  will  share  alike  in  the  eternal  kingdom,  which 
is  not  only  irrelevant  to  the  connection  of  thought,  but  luitnic. 
Neither  is  the  parable  intended  to  proclaim  the  great 
evangelic  truth  that  salvation  is  of  grace  and  not  of  merit, 
though  it  may  be  very  proper  in  preaching  to  take  occasion 
to  discourse  on  that  fundamental  doctrine.  The  great  out- 
standing thought  set  forth  therein,  as  it  seems  to  us,  is  this, 
that  in  estimating  the  value  of  work,  the  divine  Lord  whom 
all  serve  takes  into  account  not  merely  quantity,  but  quality; 
that  is,  the  spirit  in  which  the  work  is  done. 

The  correctness  of  this  view  is  apparent  when  we  take  a 
comprehensive  survey  of  the  whole  teaching  of  Jesus  on  the 
important  subject  of  work  and  wages  in  the  divine  kingdom, 
from  which  it  appears  that  the  relation  between  the  two 
things  is  fixed  by  righteous  law,  caprice  being  entirely 
excluded ;  so  that  if  the  first  in  work  be  last  in  wages  in  any 
instances,  it  is  for  very  good  reasons. 

There  are,  in  all,  three  parables  in  the  Gospels  on  the 
subject  referred  to,  each  setting  forth  a  distinct  idea,  and,  in 
case  our  interpretation  of  the  one  at  present  to  be  specially 
considered  is  correct,  all  combined  presenting  an  exhaustive 
view  of  the  topic  to  which  they  relate.    They  are  the  parables 


In  PercEa  :  or,    The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.     273 

of  the  Talents'  and  of  the  Pounds,^  and  the  one  before  us, 
called  by  way  of  distinction  "the  Laborers  in  the  Vineyard." 

In  order  to  see  how  these  parables  are  at  once  distinct  and 
mutually  complementary,  it  is  necessary  to  keep  in  view  the 
principles  on  which  the  value  of  work  is  to  be  determined. 
Three  things  must  be  taken  into  account  in  order  to  form  a 
just  estimate  of  men's  works,  viz.  the  quantity  of  work  done, 
the  ability  of  the  worker,  and  the  motive.  Leaving  out  of 
view  meantime  the  motive  :  when  the  ability  is  equal,  quantity 
determines  relative  merit ;  and  when  ability  varies,  then  it  is 
not  the  absolute  amount,  but  the  relation  of  the  amount  to 
the  ability  that  ought  to  determine  value. 

The  parables  of  the  Pounds  and  of  the  Talents  are  designed 
to  illustrate  respectively  these  two  propositions.  In  the 
former  parable  the  ability  is  the  same  in  all,  each  servant 
receiving  one  pound  ;  but  the  quantity  of  work  done  varies, 
one  servant  with  his  pound  gaining  ten  pounds,  while  another 
with  the  same  amount  gains  only  five.  Now,  by  the  above 
rule,  the  second  should  not  be  rewarded  as  the  first,  for  he 
has  not  done  what  he  might.  Accordingly,  in  the  parable  a 
distinction  is  made,  both  in  the  rewards  given  to  the  two 
servants,  and  in  the  manner  in  which  they  are  respectively 
addressed  by  their  employer.  The  first  gets  ten  cities  to 
govern,  and  these  words  of  commendation  in  addition  :  "  Well, 
thou  good  servant ;  because  thou  hast  been  faithful  in  a 
very  little,  have  thou  authority  over  ten  cities."  The  second, 
on  the  other  hand,  gets  only  five  cities,  and  what  is  even 
more  noticeable,  no  praise.  His  master  says  to  him  dryly, 
"Be  thou  also  over  five  cities."  He  had  done  somewhat, 
in  comparison  with  idlers  even  something  considerable,  and 
therefore  his  service  is  acknowledged  and  proportionally 
rewarded.  But  he  is  not  pronounced  a  good  and  faithful 
servant ;  and  the  eulogy  is  withheld,  simply  because  it  was 
not  deserved  :  for  he  had  not  done  what  he  could,  but  only 
half  of  what  was  possible,  taking  the  first  servant's  work  as 
the  measure  of  possibility. 

In  the  parable  of  the  Talents  the  conditions  are  different. 
There  the  amount  of  work  done  varies,  as  in  the  parable  of 
the  Pounds  ;  but  the  ability  varies  in  the  same  proportion, 

*  Matt.  XXV.  14-30.  *  Luke  xix.  12-28.  . 


2  74  The  Traijzing  of  the   Twelve. 

so  that  the  ratio  between  the  two  is  the  same  in  the  case 
of  both  servants  who  put  their  talents  to  use.  One  receives 
five,  and  gains  five ;  the  other  receives  two,  and  gains  two. 
According  to  our  rule,  these  two  should  be  equal  in  merit  ; 
and  so  they  are  represented  in  the  parable.  The  same  reward 
is  assigned  to  each,  and  both  are  commended  in  the  very 
same  terms  ;  the  master's  words  in  either  case  being:  "Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over 
a  few  things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things  ;  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord." 

Thus  the  case  stands  when  we  take  into  account  only 
the  two  elements  of  ability  to  work  and  the  amount  of  work 
done  ;  or,  to  combine  both  into  one,  the  element  of  zeal. 
But  there  is  more  than  zeal  to  be  considered,  at  least  in  the 
kingdom  of  God.  In  this  world  men  are  often  commended 
for  their  diligence  irrespective  of  their  motives  ;  and  it  is 
not  always  necessary  even  to  be  zealous  in  order  to  gain 
vulgar  applause.  If  one  do  something  that  looks  large  and 
liberal,  men  will  praise  him  without  inquiring  whether  for 
him  it  was  a  great  thing,  a  heroic  act  involving  self-sacrifice, 
or  only  a  respectable  act,  not  necessarily  indicative  of  earnest- 
ness or  devotion.  But  in  God's  sight  many  bulky  things 
are  very  little,  and  many  small  things  are  very  great.  The 
reason  is,  that  He  seeth  the  heart,  and  the  hidden  springs  of 
action  there,  and  judges  the  stream  by  the  fountain.  Quan- 
tity is  nothing  to  Him,  unless  there  be  zeal  ;  and  even  zeal 
is  nothing  to  Him,  unless  it  be  purged  from  all  vainglory 
and  self-seeking  —  a  pure  spring  of  good  impulses;  cleared 
of  all  smoke  of  carnal  passion  —  a  pure  flame  of  heaven-born 
devotion.     A  base  motive  vitiates  all. 

To  emphasize  this  truth,  and  to  insist  on  the  necessity 
of  right  motives  and  emotions  in  connection  with  work  and 
sacrifices,  is  the  design  of  the  parable  spoken  by  Jesus  in 
Peraea.  It  teaches  that  a  small  quantity  of  work  done  in  a 
right  spirit  is  of  greater  value  than  a  large  quantity  done  in 
a  wrong  spirit,  however  zealously  it  may  have  been  performed. 
One  hour's  work  done  by  men  who  make  no  bargain  is  of 
greater  value  than  twci  ^e  hours'  work  done  by  men  who  have 
borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day,  but  who  regard  their 
doings  with  self-complacency.     Put  in  preceptive  form,  the 


In  Per(^a  :  or,   The  Doctrhie  of  Self- Sacrifice.     275 

lesson  of  the  parable  is  :  Work  not  as  hirelings  basely  calculat- 
ing, or  as  Pharisees  arrogantly  exacting,  the  wages  to  which 
you  deem  yourselves  entitled ;  work  humbly,  as  deeming 
yourselves  unprofitable  servants  at  best  ;  generously,  as  men 
superior  to  selfish  calculations  of  advantage  ;  trustfully,  as 
men  who  confide  in  the  generosity  of  the  great  Employer, 
regarding  Him  as  one  from  whom  you  need  not  to  protect 
yourselves  by  making  beforehand  a  firm  and  fast  bargain. 

In  this  interpretation,  it  is  assumed  that  the  spirit  of  the 
first  and  of  the  last  to  enter  the  vineyard  was  respectively 
such  as  has  been  indicated  ;  and  the  assumption  is  justified 
by  the  manner  in  which  the  parties  are  described.  In  what 
spirit  the  last  worked  may  be  inferred  from  their  making  no 
bargain  ;  and  the  temper  of  the  first  is  manifest  from  their 
own  words  at  the  end  of  the  day:  "These  last,"  said  they, 
"have  wrought  but  one  hour,  and  thou  hast  made  them  equal 
to  us,  which  have  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day." 
This  is  the  language  of  envy,  jealousy,  and  self-esteem,  and 
it  is  in  keeping  with  the  conduct  of  these  laborers  at  the 
commencement  of  the  day's  work ;  for  they  entered  the  vine- 
yard as  hirelings,  having  made  a  bargain,  agreeing  to  work 
for  a  stipulated  amount  of  wages. 

The  first  and  last,  then,  represent  two  classes  among  the 
professed  servants  of  God.  The  first  are  the  calculating  and 
self-complacent  ;  the  last  are  the  humble,  the  self-forgetful, 
the  generous,  the  trustful.  The  first  are  the  Jacobs,  plodding, 
conscientious,  able  to  say  for  themselves,  "Thus  I  was:  in 
the  day  the  drought  consumed  me,  and  the  frost  by  night, 
and  the  sleep  departed  from  mine  eyes;"  yet  ever  studious 
of  their  own  interest,  taking  care  even  in  their  religion  to 
make  a  sure  bargain  for  themselves,  and  trusting  little  to  the 
free  grace  and  unfettered  generosity  of  the  great  Lord.  The 
last  are  Abraham-like  men,  not  in  the  lateness  of  their  service, 
but  in  the  magnanimity  of  their  faith,  entering  the  vineyard 
without  bargaining,  as  Abraham  left  his  father's  house,  know- 
ing not  whither  he  was  to  go,  but  knowing  only  that  God 
had  said,  "Go  to  a  land  that  I  shall  show  thee."  The  first 
are  the  Simons,  righteous,  respectable,  exemplary,  but  hard, 
prosaic,  ungenial ;  the  last  are  the  women  with  alabaster 
boxes,  who  for  long  have  been  idle,  aimless,  vicious,  wasteful 


276  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

of  life,  but  at  last,  with  bitter  tears  of  sorrow  over  an  un- 
profitable past,  begin  life  in  earnest,  and  endeavor  to  redeem 
lost  time  by  the  passionate  devotion  with  which  they  serve 
their  Lord  and  Saviour.  The  first,  once  more,  are  the  elder 
brothers  who  stay  at  home  in  their  father's  house,  and  never 
transgress  any  of  his  commandments,  and  have  no  mercy  on 
those  who  do ;  the  last  are  the  prodigals,  who  leave  their 
father's  house  and  waste  their  substance  on  riotous  living, 
but  at  length  come  to  their  senses,  and  say,  "  I  will  arise, 
and  go  to  my  father;"  and  having  met  him,  exclaim,  "Father, 
I  have  sinned,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son  : 
make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants." 

The  two  classes  differing  thus  in  character  are  treated  in 
the  parable  precisely  as  they  ought  to  be.  The  last  are  made 
first,  and  the  first  are  made  last.  The  last  are  paid  first,  to 
signify  the  pleasure  which  the  master  has  in  rewarding  them. 
They  are  also  paid  at  a  much  higher  rate  ;  for,  receiving  the 
same  sum  for  one  hour's  work  that  the  others  receive  for 
twelve,  they  are  paid  at  the  rate  of  twelve  pence  per  dian. 
They  are  treated,  in  fact,  as  the  prodigal  was,  for  whom  the 
father  made  a  feast;  while  the  "first"  are  treated  as  the 
elder  brother,  whose  service  was  acknowledged,  but  who  had 
to  complain  that  his  father  never  had  given  him  a  kid  to 
make  merry  with  his  friends.  Those  who  deem  themselves 
unworthy  to  be  any  thing  else  than  hired  servants,  and  most 
unprofitable  in  that  capacity,  are  dealt  with  as  sons  ;  and 
those  who  deem  themselves  most  meritorious  are  treated 
coldly  and  distantly,  as  hired  servants. 

Reverting  now  from  the  parable  to  the  apophthegm  it  was 
designed  to  illustrate,  we  observe  that  the  degradation  of 
such  as  are  first  in  ability,  zeal,  and  length  of  service,  to  the 
last  place  as  regards  the  reward,  is  represented  as  a  thing 
likely  to  happen  often.  "Many  that  are  first  shall  be  last." 
This  statement  implies  that  self-esteem  is  a  sin  which  easily 
besets  men  situated  as  the  twelve,  i.e.  men  who  have  made 
sacrifices  for  the  kingdom  of  God.  Now,  that  this  is  a  fact 
observation  proves  ;  and  it  further  teaches  us  that  there  are 
certain  circumstances  in  which  the  laborious  and  self-denying 
are  specially  liable  to  fall  into  the  vice  of  self-righteousness. 
It  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  deep  and,  to  most  minds  on 


In  Percsa  :  or,   The  Doctrine  of  Self-Sacj'ifice.     277 

first  view,  obscure  saying  of  Jesus,  if  we  indicate  here  what 
these  circumstances  are. 

1.  Those  who  make  sacrifices  for  Christ's  sake  are  in 
danger  of  faUing  into  a  self-righteous  mood  of  mind,  when 
the  spirit  of  self-denial  manifests  itself  in  rare  occasional  acts, 
rather  than  in  the  form  of  a  habit.  In  this  case  Christians 
rise  at  certain  emergencies  to  an  elevation  of  spirit  far  above 
the  usual  level  of  their  moral  feelings  ;  and  therefore,  though 
at  the  time  when  the  sacrifice  was  made  they  may  have 
behaved  heroically,  they  are  apt  afterwards  to  revert  self- 
complacently  to  their  noble  deeds,  as  an  old  soldier  goes 
back  on  his  battles,  and  with  Peter  to  ask,  with  a  proud 
consciousness  of  merit  for  having  forsaken  all.  What  shall  we 
have  therefore  .''  Verily,  a  state  of  mind  greatly  to  be  feared. 
A  society  in  which  spiritual  pride  and  self-complacency 
prevails  is  in  a  bad  way.  One  possessed  of  prophetic  insight 
into  the  moral  laws  of  the  universe  can  foretell  what  will 
happen.  The  religious  community  which  deems  itself  first 
will  gradually  fall  behind  in  gifts  and  graces,  and  some  other 
religious  community  which  it  despises  will  gradually  advance 
onward,  till  the  two  have  at  length,  in  a  way  manifest  to  all 
men,  changed  places. 

2.  There  is  great  danger  of  degeneracy  in  the  spirit  of 
those  who  make  sacrifices  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  when  any 
particular  species  of  service  has  come  to  be  much  in  demand, 
and  therefore  to  be  held  in  very  high  esteem.  Take,  as  an 
example,  the  endurance  of  physical  tortures  and  of  death  in 
times  of  persecution.  It  is  well  known  with  what  a  furor  of 
admiration  martyrs  and  confessors  were  regarded  in  the  suffer- 
ing church  of  the  early  centuries.  Those  who  suffered 
martyrdom  were  almost  deified  by  popular  enthusiasm  :  the 
anniversaries  of  their  death — of  their  birthdays,'  as  they 
were  called,  into  the  eternal  world  —  were  observed  with 
religious  solemnity,  when  their  doings  and  sufferings  in  this 
world  were  rehearsed  with  ardent  admiration  in  strains  of 
extravagant  eulogy.  Even  the  confessors,  who  had  suffered, 
but  not  died  for  Christ,  were  looked  up  to  as  a  superior  order 
of  beings,  separated  by  a  wide  gulf  from  the  common  herd 
of  untried  Christians.     They  were  saints,  they  had  a  halo  of 

•  The  festival  of  a  martyr  was  called  his  natalitia. 


278  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

glory  round  their  heads ;  they  had  power  with  God,  and 
could,  it  was  believed,  bind  or  loose  with  even  more  authority 
than  the  regular  ecclesiastical  authorities.  Absolution  was 
eagerly  sought  for  from  them  by  the  lapsed  ;  admission  to 
their  communion  was  regarded  as  an  open  door  by  which  sin- 
ners might  return  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church.  They 
had  only  to  say  to  the  erring,  "  Go  in  peace,"  and  even 
bishops  must  receive  them.  Bishops  joined  with  the 
populace  in  this  idolatrous  homage  to  the  men  who  suffered 
for  Christ's  sake.  They  petted  and  flattered  the  confessors, 
partly  from  honest  admiration,  but  partly  also  from  policy,  to 
induce  others  to  imitate  their  example,  and  to  foster  the 
virtue  of  hardihood,  so  much  needed  in  suffering  times. 

This  state  of  feeling  in  the  church  was  obviously  fraught 
with  great  danger  to  the  souls  of  those  who  endured  hardship 
for  the  truth,  as  tempting  them  to  fanaticism,  vanity,  spiritual 
pride,  and  presumption.  Nor  were  they  all  by  any  means 
temptation-proof.  Many  took  all  the  praise  they  received 
as  their  due,  and  deemed  themselves  persons  of  great  con- 
sequence. The  soldiers,  who  had  been  flattered  by  their 
generals  to  make  them  brave,  began  to  act  as  if  they  were 
the  masters,  and  could  write,  for  example,  to  one  who  had 
been  a  special  offender  in  the  extravagance  of  his  eulogies, 
such  a  letter  as  this  :  "  All  the  confessors  to  Cyprian  the 
bishop :  Know  that  we  have  granted  peace  to  all  those  of 
whom  you  have  had  an  account  what  they  have  done  :  how 
they  have  behaved  since  the  commission  of  their  crimes  ;  and 
we  would  that  these  presents  should  be  by  you  imparted  to 
the  rest  of  the  bishops.  We  wish  you  to  maintain  peace 
with  the  holy  martyrs."  '  Thus  was  fulfilled  in  these  confess- 
ors the  saying,  "Many  that  are  first  shall  be  last,"  First  in 
suffering  for  the  truth  and  in  reputation  for  sanctity,  they 
became  last  in  the  judgment  of  the  great  Searcher  of  hearts. 
They  gave  their  bodies  to  be  scourged,  maim.ed,  burned,  and 
it  profited  them  little  or  nothing.^ 

*  Cave,  Primitive  Christianity,  Part  iii.  cap.  v.  For  the  original,  vide  Cypriani 
Opera  [Clark's  Ante-Nicene  Library,  Cypriat!,  i.  54]. 

^  The  virtue  now  in  request  is  that  of  giving  liberally  to  missions  and  to  philanthropic 
enterprises  of  all  sorts.  The  same  degeneracy  of  motive  may  take  place  in  connection  witii 
giving  as  in  connection  with  suffering  in  early  times,  and  the  first  in  our  subscription-lists 
may  be  last  in  the  book  of  lifa. 


In  Perce  a  :  or,  The  Doctrine  of  Self- Sacrifice.     279 

3.  The  first  are  in  danger  of  becoming  the  last  when  self- 
denial  is  reduced  to  a  system,  and  practised  ascetically,  not 
for  Christ's  sake,  but  for  one's  own  sake.  That  in  respect  of 
the  amount  of  self-denial  the  austere  ascetic  is  entitled  to 
rank  first,  nobody  will  deny.  But  his  right  to  rank  first  in 
intrinsic  spiritual  worth,  and  therefore  in  the  divine  kingdom, 
is  more  open  to  dispute.  Even  in  respect  to  the  fundamental 
matter  of  getting  rid  of  self,  he  may  be,  not  first,  but  last. 
The  self-denial  of  the  ascetic  is  in  a  subtle  way  intense  self- 
assertion.  True  Christian  self-sacrifice  signifies  hardship, 
loss  undergone,  not  for  its  own  sake,  but  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  for  truth's  sake,  at  a  time  when  truth  cannot  be  main- 
tained without  sacrifice.  But  the  self-sacrifice  of  the  ascetic 
is  not  of  this  kind.  It  is  all  endured  for  his  own  sake,  for 
his  own  spiritual  benefit  and  credit.  He  practises  self-denial 
after  the  fashion  of  a  miser,  who  is  a  total  abstainer  from 
all  luxuries,  and  even  grudges  himself  the  necessaries  of  life 
because  he  has  a  passion  for  hoarding.  Like  the  miser,  he 
deems  himself  rich  ;  yet  both  he  and  the  miser  are  alike 
poor:  the  miser,  because  with  all  his  wealth  he  cannot  part 
with  his  coin  in  exchange  for  enjoyable  commodities  ;  the 
ascetic,  because  his  coins,  "  good  works,"  so  called,  painful 
acts  of  abstinence,  are  counterfeit,  and  will  not  pass  current 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  All  his  labors  to  save  his  soul 
will  turn  out  to  be  just  so  much  rubbish  to  be  burned  up  ; 
and  if  he  be  saved  at  all,  it  will  be  as  by  fire. 

Recalling  now  for  a  moment  the  three  classes  of  cases  in 
which  the  first  are  in  danger  of  becoming  last,  we  perceive 
that  the  word  "many"  is  not  an  exaggeration.  For  consider 
how  much  of  the  work  done  by  professing  Christians  belongs 
to  one  or  other  of  these  categories  :  occasional  spasmodic 
efforts ;  good  works  of  liberality  and  philanthropy,  which  are  in 
fashion  and  in  high  esteem  in  the  religious  world  ;  and  good 
works  done,  not  so  much  from  interest  in  the  work,  as  from 
their  reflex  bearing  on  the  doer's  own  religious  interests.  Many 
are  called  to  work  in  God's  vineyard,  and  many  are  actually 
at  work.  But  few  are  chosen  ;  few  are  choice  workers  ;  few 
work  for  God  in  the  spirit  of  the  precepts  taught  by  Jesus. 

But  though  there  be  few  such  workers,  there  are  some. 
Jesus  does  not  say  all  who  are  first  shall  be  last,  and  all  who 


28o  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

are  last  shall  be  first :  His  word  is  many.  There  are 
numerous  exceptions  to  the  rule  in  both  its  parts.  Not  all 
who  bear  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day  are  mercenary  and 
self-righteous.  No  ;  the  Lord  has  always  had  in  His  spiritual 
vineyard  a  noble  band  of  workers,  who,  if  there  were  room  for 
boasting  in  any  case,  might  have  boasted  on  account  of  the 
length,  the  arduousness,  and  the  efhciency  of  their  service, 
yet  cherished  no  self-complacent  thoughts,  nor  indulged  in 
any  calculations  how  much  more  they  should  receive  than 
others.  Think  of  devoted  missionaries  to  heathen  lands  ;  of 
heroic  reformers  like  Luther,  Calvin,  Knox,  and  Latimer ; 
of  eminent  men  of  our  own  day,  recently  taken  from  amongst 
us.  Can  you  fancy  such  men  talking  like  the  early  laborers 
in  the  vineyard  .-'  Nay,  verily  !  all  through  life  their  thoughts 
of  themselves  and  their  service  were  very  humble  indeed  ; 
and  at  the  close  of  life's  day  their  day's  work  seemed  to  them 
a  very  sorry  matter,  utterly  undeserving  of  the  great  reward 
of  eternal  life.     Such  first  ones  shall  not  be  last. 

If  there  be  some  first  who  shall  not  be  last,  there  are 
doubtless  also  some  last  who  shall  not  be  first.  If  it  were 
otherwise ;  if  to  be  last  in  length  of  service,  in  zeal  and 
devotion,  gave  a  man  an  advantage,  it  would  be  ruinous  to  the 
interests  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  would,  in  fact,  be  in 
effect  putting  a  premium  on  indolence,  and  encouraging  men 
to  stand  all  the  day  idle,  or  to  serve  the  devil  till  the  eleventh 
hour ;  and  then  in  old  age  to  enter  the  vineyard,  and  give  the 
Lord  the  poor  hour's  work,  when  their  limbs  were  stiff  and 
their  frames  feeble  and  tottering.  No  such  demoralizing  law 
obtains  in  the  divine  kingdom.  Other  things  being  equal,  the 
longer  and  the  more  earnestly  a  man  serves  God,  the  sooner 
he  begins,  and  the  harder  he  works,  the  better  for  himself 
hereafter.  If  those  who  begin  late  in  the  day  are  graciously 
treated,  it  is  in  spite,  not  in  consequence,  of  their  tardiness. 
That  they  have  been  so  long  idle  is  not  a  commendation,  but  a 
sin;  not  a  subject  of  self-congratulation,  but  of  deep  humil- 
iation. If  it  be  wrong  for  those  who  have  served  the  Lord 
much  to  glory  in  the  greatness  of  their  service,  it  is  surely 
still  more  unbecoming,  even  ridiculous,  for  any  one  to  pride 
himself  in  the  littleness  of  his.  If  the  first  has  no  cause  for 
boasting  and  self-righteousness,  still  less  has  the  last. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE     SONS     OF    ZEBEDEE     AGAIN;    OR,     SECOND    LESSON    IN    THE 
DOCTRINE  OF    THE   CROSS. 

Matt.  xx.  17-28;   Mark  x.  32-45;    Luke  xviii.  31-34, 

The  incident  recorded  in  these  sections  of  Matthew's  and 
Mark's  Gospels  happened  while  Jesus  and  His  disciples  were 
going  up  to  Jerusalem  for  the  last  time,  journeying  via 
Jericho,  from  Ephraim  in  the  wilderness,  whither  they  had 
retired  after  the  raising  of  Lazarus.'  The  ambitious  request 
of  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee  for  the  chief  places  of  honor  in  the 
kingdom  was  therefore  made  little  more  than  a  week  before 
their  Lord  was  crucified.  How  little  must  they  have  dreamed 
what  was  coming!  Yet  it  was  not  for  want  of  warning; 
Tor  just  iDcfore  they  presented  their  petition,  Jesus  had  for 
the  third  time  explicitly  announced  His  approaching  passion, 
indicating  that  His  death  would  take  place  in  connection  with 
this  present  visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  adding  other  particulars 
respecting  His  last  sufferings  not  specified  before  fitted  to 
arrest  attention  ;  as  that  His  death  should  be  the  issue 
of  a  judicial  process,  and  that  He  should  be  delivered  by 
the  Jewish  authorities  to  the  Gentiles,  to  be  mocked,  and 
scourged,  and  crucified.^ 

After  recording  the  terms  of  Christ's  third  announcement, 
Luke  adds,  with  reference  to  the  disciples  :  "  They  under- 
stood none  of  these  things  ;  and  this  saying  was  hid  from 
them,  neither  knew  they  the  things  which  were  spoken."^ 
The  truth  of  this  statement  is  sufficiently  apparent  from 
the  scene  which  ensued,  not  recorded  by  Luke,  as  is  also  the 
cause  of  the  fact  stated.  The  disciples,  we  perceive,  were 
thinking  of  other  matters  while  Jesus  spake  to  them  of  His 

*  John  xi.  54. 

2  Matt.  XX.  17-19.     Mark  (x.  34)  adds  spitting  to  the  catalogue  of  indignities. 

*  Luke  xviii.  34. 

28 1 


282  The  Traming  of  the   Twelve. 

approaching  sufferings.  They  were  dreaming  of  the  thrones 
they  had  been  promised  in  Perasa,  and  therefore  were  not 
able  to  enter  into  the  thoughts  of  their  Master,  so  utterly 
diverse  from  their  own.  Their  minds  were  completely  pos- 
sessed by  romantic  expectations,  their  heads  giddy  with  the 
^sparkling  wine  of  vain  hope  ;  and  as  they  drew  nigh  the  holy 
city  their  firm  conviction  was,  "that  the  kingdom  of  God 
should  immediately  appear."' 

While  all  the  disciples  were  looking  forward  to  their 
thrones,  James  and  John  were  coveting  the  most  distinguished 
ones,  and  contriving  a  scheme  for  securing  these  to  them- 
selves, and  so  getting  the  dispute  who  should  be  the  greatest 
settled  in  their  own  favor.  These  were  the  two  disciples 
who  made  themselves  so  prominent  in  resenting  the  rudeness 
of  the  Samaritan  villagers.  The  greatest  zealots  among  the 
twelve  were  thus  also  the  most  ambitious,  a  circumstance 
which  will  not  surprise  the  student  of  human  nature.  On  the 
former  occasion  they  asked  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  their 
adversaries  ;  on  the  present  occasion  they  ask  a  favor  from 
Heaven  to  the  disadvantage  of  their  friends.  The  two 
requests  are  not  so  very  dissimilar. 

In  hatching  and  executing  their  little  plot,  the  two  brothers 
enjoyed  the  assistance  of  their  mother,  whose  presence  is  not 
explained,  but  may  have  been  due  to  her  having  become  an 
attendant  on  Jesus  in  her  widowhood,^  or  to  an  accidental 
meeting  with  Him  and  His  disciples  at  the  junction  of  the 
roads  converging  on  Jerusalem,  whither  all  were  now  going 
to  keep  the  feast.  Salome  was  the  principal  actor  in  the 
scene,  and  it  must  be  admitted  she  acted  her  part  well. 
Kneeling  before  Jesus,  as  if  doing  homage  to  a  king,  she 
intimated  her  humble  wish  to  proffer  a  petition  ;  and  being 
gently  asked,  "What  wilt  thou  .^ "  said,  "Grant  that  these 
my  two  sons  may  sit,  the  one  on  Thy  right  hand,  and  the 
other  on  the  left,  in  Thy  kingdom." 

This  prayer  had  certainly  another  origin  than  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  scheme  of  which  it  was  the 
outcome  was  not  one  which  we  should  have  expected  com- 

'  Luke  xix.  11. 

2  Salome  was  one  of  the  women  who  followed  Christ  in  Galilee,  and  served  Him. 
Mark  XV.  41, 


The  Sons  of  Zebedee  Again.  283 

panions  of  Jesus  to  entertain.  And  yet  the  whole  proceeding 
is  so  true  to  human  nature  as  it  reveals  itself  in  every  age, 
that  we  cannot  but  feel  that  we  have  here  no  myth,  but  a 
genuine  piece  of  history.  We  know  how  much  of  the  world's 
spirit  is  to  be  found  at  all  times  in  religious  circles  of  high 
reputation  for  zeal,  devotion,  and  sanctity ;  and  we  have  no 
right  to  hold  up  our  hands  in  amazement  when  we  see  it 
appearing  even  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Jesus. 
The  twelve  were  yet  but  crude  Christians,  and  we  must  allow 
them  time  to  become  sanctified  as  well  as  others.  Therefore 
we  neither  affect  to  be  scandalized  at  their  conduct,  nor,  to 
save  their  reputation,  do  we  conceal  its  true  character.  We 
are  not  surprised  at  the  behavior  of  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee, 
and  yet  we  say  plainly  that  their  request  was  foolish  and 
offensive  :  indicative  at  once  of  bold  presumption,  gross 
stupidity,  and  unmitigated  selfishness. 

It  was  an  irreverent,  presumptuous  request,  because  it 
virtually  asked  Jesus  their  Lord  to  become  the  tool  of  their 
ambition  and  vanity.  Fancying  that  He  would  yield  to  mere 
solicitation,  perhaps  calculating  that  He  would  not  have  the 
heart  to  refuse  a  request  coming  from  a  female  suppliant, 
who  as  a  widow  was  an  object  of  compassion,  and  as  a 
contributor  to  His  support  had  claims  to  His  gratitude,  they 
begged  a  favor  which  Jesus  could  not  grant  without  being 
untrue  to  His  own  character  and  His  habitual  teaching,  as 
exemplified  in  the  discourse  on  humility  in  the  house  at 
Capernaum.  In  so  doing  they  were  guilty  of  a  disrespectful, 
impudent  forwardness  most  characteristic  of  the  ambitious 
spirit,  which  is  utterly  devoid  of  delicacy,  and  pushes  on 
towards  its  end,  reckless  what  offence  it  may  give,  heedless 
how  it  wounds  the  sensibilities  of  others. 

The  request  of  the  two  brothers  was  as  ignorant  as  it  was 
presumptuous.  The  idea  implied  therein  of  the  kingdom 
was  utterly  wide  of  truth  and  reality.  James  and  John  not 
only  thought  of  the  kingdom  that  was  coming  as  a  kingdom 
of  this  world,  but  they  thought  meanly  of  it  even  under 
that  view.  For  it  is  an  unusually  corrupt  and  unwholesome 
condition  of  matters,  even  in  a  secular  state,  when  places  of 
highest  distinction  can  be  obtained  by  solicitation  and  favor, 
and   not   on   the   sole   ground   of   fitness   for  the  duties  of 


284  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  position.  When  family  influence  or  courtly  arts  are  the 
pathway  to  power,  every  patriot  has  cause  to  mourn.  How 
preposterous,  then,  the  idea  that  promotion  can  take  place 
in  the  divine,  ideally-perfect  kingdom  by  means  that  are 
inadmissible  in  any  well-regulated  secular  kingdom !  To 
cherish  such  an  idea  is  in  effect  to  degrade  and  dishonor  the 
Divine  King,  by  likening  Him  to  an  unprincipled  despot, 
who  has  more  favor  for  flatterers  than  for  honest  men  ;  and 
to  caricature  the  divine  kingdom  by  assimilating  it  to  the 
most  misgoverned  states  on  earth,  such  as  those  ruled  over 
by  a  Bomba  or  a  Nero. 

The  request  of  the  brethren  was  likewise  intensely  selfish. 
It  was  ungenerous  as  towards  their  fellow-disciples  ;  for  it 
was  an  attempt  to  overreach  them,  and,  like  all  such  attempts, 
produced  mischief,  disturbing  the  peace  of  the  family  circle, 
and  giving  rise  to  a  most  unseemly  embitterment  of  feeling 
among  its  members.  "  When  the  ten  heard  it,  they  were 
moved  with  indignation."  No  wonder;  and  if  James  and 
John  did  not  anticipate  such  a  result,  it  showed  that  they 
were  very  much  taken  up  with  their  own  selfish  thoughts  ; 
and  if  they  did  anticipate  it,  and  nevertheless  shrank  not 
from  a  course  of  action  which  was  sure  to  give  offence,  that 
only  made  their  selfishness  the  more  heartless  and  inexcusable. 

But  the  petition  of  the  two  disciples  was  selfish  in  a  far 
wider  view,  viz.  with  reference  to  the  public  interests  of 
the  divine  kingdom.  It  virtually  meant  this  :  "Grant  us  the 
places  of  honor  and  power,  come  what  may ;  even  though 
universal  discontent  and  disaffection,  disorder,  disaster,  and 
chaotic  confusion  ensue."  These  are  the  sure  effects  of 
promotion  by  favor  instead  of  by  merit,  both  in  church  and 
in  state,  as  many  a  nation  has  found  to  its  cost  in  the  day  of 
trial.  James  and  John,  it  is  true,  never  dreamt  of  disaster 
resulting  from  their  petition  being  granted.  No  self-seekers 
and  place-hunters  ever  do  anticipate  evil  results  from  their 
promotion.  But  that  does  not  make  them  less  selfish.  It 
only  shows  that,  besides  being  selfish,  they  are  vain. 

The  reply  of  Jesus  to  this  ambitious  request,  considering 
its  character,  was  singularly  mild.  Offensive  though  the 
presumption,  forwardness,  selfishness,  and  vanity  of  the  two 
disciples  must  have  been   to    His    meek,  holy,  self-forgetful 


The  Sons  of  Zcbedee  Again.  285 

spirit,  He  uttered  not  a  word  of  direct  rebuke,  but  dealt  with 
them  as  a  father  might  deal  with  a  child  that  had  made  a 
senseless  request.  Abstaining  from  animadversion  on  the 
grave  faults  brought  to  light  by  their  petition,  He  noticed 
only  the  least  culpable  —  their  ignorance.  "  Ye  know  not," 
He  said  to  them  quietly,  "what  ye  ask;"  and  even  this 
remark  He  made  in  compassion  rather  than  in  the  way  of 
blame.  He  pitied  men  who  offered  prayers  whose  fulfilment, 
as  He  knew,  implied  painful  experiences  of  which  they  had 
no  thought.  It  was  in  this  spirit  that  He  asked  the  explana- 
tory question  :  "  Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  am 
about  to  drink,  ancTto  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I 
am  baptized  with  .''  "  ' 

But  there  was  more  than  compassion  or  correction  in  this 
question,  even  instruction  concerning  the  true  way  of  obtain- 
ing promotion  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  In  interrogatory  form 
Jesus  taught  His  disciples  that  advancement  in  His  kingdom 
went  not  by  favor,  nor  was  obtainable  by  clamorous  solicita- 
tion ;  that  the  way  to  thrones  was  the  via  dolorosa  of  the 
cross  ;  that  the  palm-bearers  in  the  realms  of  glory  should 
be  they  who  had  passed  through  great  tribulation,  and  the 
princes  of  the  kingdom  they  who  had  drunk  most  deeply  of 
His  cup  of  sorrow ;  and  that  for  those  who  refused  to  drink 
thereof,  the  selfish,  the  self-indulgent,  the  ambitious,  the  vain, 
there  would  be  no  place  at  all  in  the  kingdom,  not  to  speak 
of  places  of  honor  on  His  right  or  left  hand. 

The  startling  question  put  to  them  by  Jesus  did  not  take 
James  and  John  by  surprise.  Promptly  and  firmly  they 
replied,  "We  are  able."  Had  they  then  really  taken  into 
account  thTciip  anclThe  baptism  of  suffering,  and  deliberately 
made  up  their  minds  to  pay  the  costly  price  for  the  coveted 
prize  }  Had  the  sacred  fire  of  the  martyr  spirit  already  been 
kindled  in  their  hearts .''  One  would  be  happy  to  think  so, 
but  we  fear  there  is  nothing  to  justify  so  favorable  an  opinion. 
It  is  much  more  probable  that,  in  their  eagerness  to  obtain 
the  object  of  their  ambition,  the  two  brothers  were  ready  to 
promise  any  thing,  and  that,  in  fact,  they  neither  knew  nor 
cared  what  they  were  promising.  Their  confident  declaration 
bears  a  suspiciously  close  resemblance  to  the  bravado  uttered 

'  The  second  clause  is  a  doubtful  reading,  and  is  omitted  in  R.  V. 


286  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

by  Peter  a  few  days  later  :  "  Though  all  men  shall  be  offended 
because  of  Thee,  yet  will  I  never  be  offended." 

Jesus,  however,  did  not  choose,  in  the  case  of  the  sons  of 
Zebedee,  as  in  the  case  of  their  friend,  to  call  in  question  the 
heroism  so  ostentatiously  professed,  but  adopted  the  course  of 
assuming  that  they  were  not  only  able,  but  willing,  yea,  eager, 
to  participate  in  His  sufferings.  With  the  air  of  a  king 
granting  to  favorites  the  privilege  of  drinking  out  of  the  royal 
wine-cup,  and  of  washing  in  the  royal  ewer.  He  replied  :  "Ye 
shall  drink  indeed  of  my  cup,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with."  It  was  a  strange  favor  which  the 
King  thus  granted  !  Had  they  only  known  the  meaning  of 
the  words,  the  two  brethren  might  well  have  fancied  that 
their  Master  was  indulging  in  a  stroke  of  irony  at  their 
expense.  Yet  it  was  not  so.  Jesus  was  not  mocking  His 
disciples  when  He  spake  thus,  offering  them  a  stone  instead 
of  bread  :  He  was  speaking  seriously,  and  promising  what 
He  meant  to  bestow,  and  what,  when  the  time  of  bestowal 
came  —  for  it  did  come — they  themselves  regarded  as  a  real 
privilege  ;  for  all  the  apostles  agreed  with  Peter  that  they 
who  were  reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ  were  to  be 
accounted  happy,  and  had  the  spirit  of  glory  and  of  God  resting 
on  them.  Such,  we  believe,  was  the  mind  of  James  when 
Herod  killed  him  with  the  persecutor's  sword  :  such,  we 
know,  was  the  mind  of  John  when  he  was  in  the  isle  of 
Patmos  "for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

Having  promised  a  favor  not  coveted  by  the  two  disciples, 
Jesus  next  explained  that  the  favor  they  did  covet  was  not 
unconditionally  at  His  disposal :  "  But  to  sit  on  my  right 
hand  and  on  my  left  is  not  mine  to  give,  save  to  those  for 
whom  it  is  prepared  of  my  Father."  The  Authorized  Version 
suggests  the  idea  that  the  bestowal  of  rewards  in  the 
kingdom  is  not  in  Christ's  hands  at  all.  That,  however,  is 
not  what  Jesus  meant  to  say  ;  but  rather  this,  that  though  it 
is  Christ's  prerogative  to  assign  to  citizens  their  places  in 
His  kingdom,  it  is  not  in  His  power  to  dispose  of  places  by 
partiality  and  patronage,  or  otherwise  than  in  accordance 
with  fixed  principles  of  justice  and  the  sovereign  ordination 
of  His  Father.     The  words,  paraphrased,  signify :    "  I    can 


The  So7is  of  Zebedee  Again.  28 7 

say  to  any  one,  Come,  drink  of  my  cup,  for  there  is  no  risk 
of  mischief  arising  out  of  favoritism  in  that  direction.  But 
there  my  favors  must  end.  I  cannot  say  to  any  one,  as  I 
please.  Come,  sit  beside  me  on  a  throne ;  for  each  man  must 
get  the  place  prepared  for  him,  and  for  which  he  is  pre- 
pared." 

Thus  explained,  this  solemn  saying  of  our  Lord  furnishes 
no^qund  for  an  inference  which,  on  first  view,  it  seems  not 
only  to  suggest,  but  to  necessitate,  viz.  that^  one  may  taste 
of  the  cup,  yet  lose  the  crown  ;  or,  at  least,  that  there  is  no 
connection  between  the  measure  in  which  a  disciple  may 
have  had  fellowship  with  Christ  in  His  cross,  and  the  place 
which  shall  be  assigned  to  him  in  the  eternal  kingdom.  That 
Jesus  had  no  intention  to  teach  such  a  doctrine  is  evident 
from  the  question  He  had  asked  just  before  He  made  the 
statement  now  under  consideration,  which  implies  a  natural 
sequence  between  the  cup  and  the  throne,  the  suffering  and 
the  glory.  The  sacrifice  and  the  great  reward  so  closely 
conjoined  in  the  promise  made  to  the  twelve  in  Peroea  are 
disjoined  here,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  signalizing  the 
rigor  with  which  all  corrupt  influences  are  excluded  from 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  It  is  beyond  doubt,  that  those  on 
whom  is  bestowed  in  high  measure  the  favor  of  being  com- 
panions  with  Jesus  in  tribulation  shall  be  rewarded  with  high 
promotion  in  the  eternal  kingdom.  Nor  does  this  statement 
compromise  the  sovereignty  of  the  Father  and  Lord  of  all  ; 
on  the  contrary,  it  contributes  towards  its  establishment. 
There  is  no  better  argument  in  support  of  the  doctrine  of 
election  than  the  simple  truth  that  afifliction  is  the  education 
for  heaven.  For  in  what  does  the  sovereign  hand  of  God 
appear  more  signally  than  in  the  appointment  of  crosses  .-*  If 
crosses  would  let  us  alone,  we  would  let  them  alone.  We 
choose  not  the  bitter  cup  and  the  bloody  baptism  :  we  are 
chosen  for  them,  and  in  them.  God  impresses  men  into  the 
warfare  of  the  cross  ;  and  if  any  come  to  glory  in  this  way, 
as  many  an  impressed  soldier  has  done,  it  will  be  to  glory  to 
which,  in  the  first  place  at  least,  they  did  not  aspire. 

The  asserted  connection  between  suffering  and  glory  serves 
to  defend  as  weTT  as  to  establish  the  doctrine  of  election. 
Looked  at  in  relation  to  the  world  to  come,  that  doctrine 


288  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

seems  to  lay  God  open  to  the  charge  of  partiality,  and  is 
certainly  very  mysterious.  But  look  at  election  in  its  bearing 
on  the  present  life.  In  that  view  it  is  a  privilege  for  which 
the  elect  are  not  apt  to  be  envied.  For  the  elect  are  not  the 
happy  and  the  prosperous,  but  the  toilers  and  sufferers.'  In 
fact,  they  are  elected  not  for  their  own  sake,  but  for  the 
world's  sake,  to  be  God's  pioneers  in  the  rough,  unwelcome 
work  of  turning  the  wilderness  into  a  fruitful  field  ;  to  be 
the  world's  salt,  leaven,  and  light,  receiving  for  the  most  part 
little  thanks  for  the  service  they  render,  and  getting  often 
for  reward  the  lot  of  the  destitute,  the  afflicted,  and  the 
tormented.  So  that,  after  all,  election  is  a  favor  to  the  non- 
elect  :  it  is  God's  method  of  benefiting  men  at  large ;  and 
whatever  peculiar  benefit  may  be  in  store  for  the  elect  is 
well  earned,  and  should  not  be  grudged.  Does  any  one  envy 
them  their  prospect  .''  He  may  be  a  partaker  of  their  future 
joy  if  he  be  willing  to  be  companion  to  such  forlorn  beings, 
and  to  share  their  tribulations  now. 

It  is  hardly  needful  to  explain  that,  in  uttering  these 
words,  Jesus  did  not  mean  to  deny  the  utility  of  prayer,  and 
to  say,  "  You  may  ask  for  a  place  in  the  divine  kingdom, 
and  not  get  it ;  for  all  depends  on  what  God  has  ordained." 
He  only  wished  the  two  disciples  and  all  to  understand  that 
to  obtain  their  requests  they  must  know  what  they  ask,  and 
accept  all  that  is  implied,  in  the  present  as  well  as  in  the 
future,  in  the  answering  of  their  prayers.  This  condition  is 
too  often  overlooked.  Many  a  bold,  ambitious  prayer,  even 
for  spiritual  blessing,  is  offered  up  by  petitioners  who  have 
no  idea  what  the  answer  would  involve,  and  if  they  had, 
would  wish  their  prayer  unanswered.  Crude  Christians  ask, 
e.g.,  to  be  made  holy.  But  do  they  know  what  doubts, 
temptations,  and  sore  trials  of  all  kinds  go  to  the  making  of 
great  saints  ?  Others  long  for  a  full  assurance  of  God's  love; 
desire  to  be  perfectly  persuaded  of  their  election.     Are  they 

'  The  lines  of  Euripides  may  be  appropriated  here  to  the  true  sons  of  God  — 

Out'  €7rl  KepKicriv  ovre  Koyoit; 
<j>6iTtv  a'iov'  evTVxia<;  fxerexeiv 
Oedflei"  reKva  dvaroU  {fon,  510)) 

the  meaning  being,  I  have  never  heard  it  said  that  sons  born  to  mortals  of  divine  paternity 
were  happy. 


The  Sons  of  Zebedee  Again.  289 

willing  to  be  deprived  of  the  sunshine  of  prosperity,  that  in 
the  dark  night  of  sorrow  they  may  see  heaven's  stars  ?  Ah 
me !  how  few  do  know  what  they  ask !  how  much  all  need 
to  be  taught  to  pray  for  right  things  with  an  intelligent  mind 
and  in  a  right  spirit ! 

Having  said  what  was  needful  to  James  and  John,  Jesus 
next  addressed  a  word  in  season  to  their  brethren  inculcating 
humility  ;  most  appropriately,  for  though  the  ten  were  the 
offended  party,  not  offenders,  yet  the  same  ambitious  spirit 
was  in  them,  else  they  would  not  have  felt  and  resented  the 
wrong  done  so  keenly.  Pride  and  selfishness  may  vex  and 
grieve  the  humble  and  the  self-forgetful,  but  they  provoke 
resentment  only  in  the  proud  and  the  selfish  ;  and  the  best 
way  to  be  proof  against  the  assaults  of  other  men's  evil 
passions  is  to  get  similar  affections  exorcised  out  of  our  own 
breasts.  "  Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ 
Jesus  ; "  then  shall  nothing  be  done  by  you  at  least  in  strife 
or  vainglory. 

"  When  the  ten  heard  it,"  we  read,  "  they  were  moved  with 
indignation  against  the  two  brethren."  Doubtless  it  was  a 
very  unedifying  scene  which  ensued  ;  and  it  is  very  disap- 
pointing Fo  witness  such  scenes  where  one  might  have  looked 
to  see  m  perfection  the  godly  spectacle  of  brethren  dwelling 
together  in  unity.  But  the  society  of  Jesus  was  a  real  thing, 
not  the  imaginary  creation  of  a  romance-writer ;  and  in  all 
real  human  societies,  in  happy  homes,  in  the  most  select 
brotherhoods,  scientific,  literary,  or  artistic,  in  Christian 
churches,  there  will  arise  tempests  now  and  then.  And  let 
us  be  thankful  that  the  twelve,  even  by  their  folly,  gave  their 
Master  an  occasion  for  uttering  the  sublime  words  here 
recorded,  which  shine  down  upon  us  out  of  the  serene  sky 
of  the  gospel  story  like  stars  appearing  through  the  tempest- 
uous clouds  of  human  passion  —  manifestly  the  words  of  a 
Divine  Being,  though  spoken  out  of  the  depths  of  an  amazing 
self-humiliation. 

The  manner  of  Jesus,  in  addressing  His  heated  disciples, 
was  very  tender  and  subdued.  He  collected  them  all  around 
Him,  the  two  and  the  ten,  the  offenders  and  the  offended, 
as  a  father  might  gather  together  his  children  to  receive 
admonition,  and  He  spoke  to  them  with  the  calmness  and 


290  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

solemnity  of  one  about  to  meet  death.  Throughout  this 
whole  scene  death's  solemnizing  influence  is  manifestly  on 
the  Saviour's  spirit.  For  does  He  not  speak  of  His  approach- 
ing suffermgs  in  language  reminding  us  of  the  night  of  His 
betrayal,  describing  His  passion  by  the  poetic  sacramental 
name  "  my  cup,"  and  for  the  first  time  revealing  the  secret 
of  His  life  on  earth  —  the  grand  object  for  which  He  is  about 
to  die  .'' 

In  moral  significance,  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  at  this  time 
was  a  repetition  of  His  teaching  in  Capernaum,  when  He 
chose  the  little  child  for  His  text.  As  He  said  then,  Who 
would  be  great  must  be  childlike,  so  He  says  here,  Whosoever 
will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your  minister.  In  the 
former  discourse  His  model  and  His  text  was  an  infant ; 
now  it  is  a  slave,  another  representative  of  the  mean  and 
despicable.  Now,  as  before.  He  quotes  His  own  example 
to  enforce  His  precept ;  stimulating  His  disciples  to  seek 
distinction  in  a  path  of  lowly  love  by  representing  the  Son 
of  man  as  come  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister, 
even  to  the  length  ot  giving  His  life  a  ransom  for  the  many, 
as  He  then  reminded  them,  that  the  Son  of  man  came  like  a 
shepherd,  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost  sheep. 

The  single  new  feature  in  the  lesson  which  Jesus  gave  His 
disciples  at  this  season  is,  the  contrast  between  His  kingdom 
and  the  kingdoms  of  earth  in  respect  to  the  mode  of  acquiring 
dominion,  to  which  He  directed  attention,  by  way  of  preface, 
to  the  doctrine  about  to  be  communicated.  "  Ye  know,"  He 
said,  "  that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  dominion  over 
them,  and  they"THat  are  great  (provincial  governors,  often 
more  tyrannical  than  their  superiors)  exercise  authority  upon 
them.  But  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you."  There  is  a  bint 
here  at  another  contrast  besides  the  one  mainly  intended, 
viz.  that  between  the  harsh  despotic  sway  of  worldly  poten- 
tates, and  the  gentle  dominion  of  love  alone  admissible  in 
the  divine  kmgdom.  But  the  main  object  of  the  words 
quoted  is  to  point  out  the  difference  in  the  way  of  acquiring 
rather  than  in  the  manner  of  using  power.  The  idea  is  this  : 
earthly  kingdoms  are  ruled  by  a  class  of  persons  who  possess 
hereditary  rank  —  the  aristocracy,  nobles,  or  princes.  The 
governing  class  are  those  whose  birthright  it  is  to  rule,  and 


TJie  Sons  of  Zehedee  Again.  291 

whose  boast  it  is  never  to  have  been  in  a  servile  position,  but 
always  to  have  been  served.  In  my  kingdom,  on  the  other 
hand,  a  man  becomes  a  great  one,  and  a  ruler,  by  being  first 
the  servant  of  those  over  whom  he  is  to  bear  rule.  In  other 
states,  they  rule  whose  privilege  it  is  to  be  ministered  unto  ; 
in  the  divine  commonwealth,  they  rule  who  account  it  a 
privilege  to  minister. 

In  drawing  this  contrast,  Jesus  had,  of  course,  no  intention 
to  teach  politics  ;  no  intention  either  to  recognize  or  to  call 
in  question  the  divine  right  of  the  princely  cast  to  rule  over 
their  fellow-creatures.  He  spoke  of  things  as  they  were, 
and  as  His  hearers  knew  them  to  be  in  secular  states,  and 
especially  in  the  Roman  Empire.  If  any  political  inference 
might  be  drawn  from  His  words,  it  would  not  be  in  favor 
of  absolutism  and  hereditary  privilege,  but  rather  in  favor  of 
power  being  in  the  hands  of  those  who  have  earned  it  by 
faithful  service,  whether  they  belong  to  the  governing  class 
by  birth  or  not.  For  what  is  beneficial  in  the  divine  kingdom 
cannot  be  prejudicial  to  secular  commonwealths.  The  true 
interests,  one  would  say,  of  an  earthly  kingdom  should  be 
promoted  by  its  being  governed  as  nearly  as  possible  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  kingdom  which  cannot  be 
moved.  Thrones  and  crowns  may,  to  prevent  disputes,  go  by 
hereditary  succession,  irrespective  of  personal  merit  ;  but  the 
reality  of  power  should  ever  be  in  the  hands  of  the  ablest, 
the  wisest,  and  the  most  devoted  to  the  public  good. 

Having  explained  by  contrast  the  great  principle  of  the 
spiritual  commonwealth,  that  he  who  would  rule  therein  must 
first  serve,  Jesus  proceeded  next  to  enforce  the  doctrine  by 
a  reference  to  His  own  example.  "Whosoever  will  be  chief 
among  you,"  said  He  to  the  twelve,  "let  him  be  your 
servant ;  "  and  then  He  added  the  memorable  words  :  "Even 
as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister,  and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many." 

These  words  were  spoken  by  Jesus  as  one  who  claimed  to 
be  a  King,  and  aspired  to  be  the  first  in  a  great  and  mighty 
kingdom.  At  the  end  of  the  sentence  we  must  mentally 
supply  the  clause  —  which  was  not  expressed  simply  because 
it  was  so  obviously  implied  in  the  connection  of  thought  — 
"  so  seeking  to  win  a  kingdom."      Our  Lord  sets  Himself 


292  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

forth  here  not  merely  as  an  example  of  humility,  but  as  one 
whose  case  illustrates  the  truth  that  the  way  to  power  in  the 
spiritual  world  is  service  ;  and  in  stating  that  He  came  not  to 
be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  He  expresses  not  the 
whole  truth,  but  only  the  present  fact.  The  whole  truth  was, 
that  He  came  to  minister  in  the  first  place,  that  He  might  be 
ministered  to  in  turn  by  a  willing,  devoted  people,  acknowl- 
edging Him  as  their  sovereign.  The  point  on  which  He 
wishes  to  fix  the  attention  of  His  disciples  is  the  peculiar 
way  He  takes  to  get  His  crown  ;  and  what  He  says  in  effect 
is  this  :  "  I  am  a  King,  and  I  expect  to  have  a  kingdom  ; 
James  and  John  were  not  mistaken  in  that  respect.  But  I 
shall  obtain  my  kingdom  in  another  way  than  secular  princes 
get  theirs.  They  get  their  thrones  by  succession,  I  get  mine 
by  personal  merit ;  they  secure  their  kingdom  by  right  of 
birth,  I  hope  to  secure  mine  by  the  right  of  service ;  they 
inherit  their  subjects,  I  buy  mine,  the  purchase-money  being 
mine  own  life." 

What  the  twelve  thought  of  this  novel  plan  of  getting 
dominion  and  a  kingdom,  and  especially  what  ideas  the 
concluding  word  of  their  Master  suggested  to  their  minds 
when  uttered,  we  know  not.  We  are  sure,  however,  that 
they  did  not  comprehend  that  word ;  and  no  marvel,  for 
the  thought  of  Jesus  was  very  deep.  Who  can  understand 
it  fully  even  now.-'  Here  we  emphatically  see  through  a 
glass,  in  enigmas. 

This  memorable  saying  has  been  the  subject  of  much 
doubtful  disputation  among  theologians,  nor  can  we  hope  by 
any  thing  that  we  can  say  to  terminate  controversy.  The 
word  is  a  deep  well  which  has  never  yet  been  fathomed, 
and  probably  never  will.  Brought  in  so  quietly  as  an  illus- 
tration to  enforce  a  moral  precept,  it  opens  up  a  region 
of  thought  which  takes  us  far  beyond  the  immediate 
occasion  of  its  being  uttered.  It  raises  questions  in  our 
minds  which  it  does  not  solve  ;  and  yet  there  is  little  in 
the  New  Testament  on  the  subject  of  Christ's  death  which 
might  not  be  comprehended  within  the  limits  of  its  possible 
significance. 

First  of  all,  let  us  say  that  we  have  no  sympathy  with  that 
school  of  critical  theologians  who  call  in  question  the  authen- 


The  Sons  of  Zebedee  Again.  ic^'i^ 

ticity  of  this  word.'  It  is  strange  to  observe  how  unwilling 
some  are  to  recognize  Christ  as  the  original  source  of  great 
thoughts  which  have  become  essential  elements  in  the  faith 
of  the  church.  This  idea  of  Christ's  death  as  a  ransom  is 
here  now.  With  whom  did  it  take  its  rise .''  was  the  mind  of 
Jesus  not  original  enough  to  conceive  it,  that  it  must  be 
fathered  on  some  one  else .-'  Another  thing  has  to  be  con- 
sidered in  connection  with  this  saying,  and  the  kindred  one 
uttered  at  the  institution  of  the  supper.  After  Jesus  had 
begun  to  dwell  much  in  thought,  accompanied  with  deep 
emotion,  on  the  fact  that  He  must  die,  it  was  inevitable  that 
His  mind  should  address  itself  to  the  task  of  investing  the 
harsh,  prosaic  fact  with  poetic,  mystic  meanings.  We  speak 
of  Jesus  for  the  moment  simply  as  a  man  of  wonderful 
spiritual  genius,  whose  mind  was  able  to  cope  with  death, 
and  rob  it  of  its  character  of  a  mere  fate,  and  invest  it  with 
beauty,  and  clothe  the  skeleton  with  the  flesh  and  blood  of  an 
attractive  system  of  spiritual  meanings. 

Regarding,  then,  this  precious  saying  as  unquestionably 
authentic,  what  did  Christ  mean  to  teach  by  it  .''  First  this, 
at  least,  in  general,  that  there  was  a  causal  connection 
between  His  act  in  laying  down  His  life  and  the  desired 
result,  viz.  spiritual  sovereignty.  And  without  having  any 
regard  to  the  term  ransom,  even  supposing  it  for  the  moment 
absent  from  the  text,  we  can  see  for  ourselves  that  there  is 
such  a  connection.  However  original  the  method  adopted 
by  Jesus  for  getting  a  kingdom  —  and  when  compared  with 
other  methods  of  getting  kingdoms,  e.g.  by  inheritance,  the 
most  respectable  way,  or  by  the  sword,  or,  basest  of  all,  by 
paying  down  a  sum  of  money,  as  in  the  last  days  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  its  originality  is  beyond  dispute — however 
original  the  method  of  Jesus,  it  has  proved  strangly  success- 
ful. The  event  has  proved  that  there  must  be  a  connection 
between  the  two  things,  —  the  death  on  the  cross  and  the 
sovereignty  of  souls.  Thousands  of  human  beings,  yea, 
millions,  in  every  age,  have  said  Amen  with  all  their  hearts 
to  the  doxology  of  John  in  the  Apocalypse  :  "  Unto  Him 
that  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His  own  blood, 

'  Baur  expresses  doubts  in  his  Netitestamentliche  Theologie,  p.  loo.  Keim,  on  the 
other  hand,  defends  the  authenticity. 


294  1^^^^   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  His 
Father,  unto  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever."  Without 
doubt  this  result  of  His  self-devotion  was  present  to  the 
mind  of  Jesus  when  He  uttered  the  words  before  us,  and 
in  uttering  them  He  meant  for  one  thing  to  emphasize  the 
power  of  divine  love  in  self-sacrifice,  to  assert  its  sway  over 
human  hearts,  and  to  win  for  the  King  of  the  sacred  common- 
wealth a  kind  of  sovereignty  not  attainable  otherwise  than 
by  humbling  Himself  to  take  upon  Him  the  form  of  a 
servant.  Some  assert  that  to  gain  this  power  was  the  sole 
end  of  the  Incarnation.  We  do  not  agree  with  this  view, 
but  we  have  no  hesitation  in  regarding  the  attainment  of 
such  moral  power  by  self-sacrifice  as  one  end  of  the  Incarna- 
tion. The  Son  of  God  wished  to  charm  us  away  from  self- 
indulgence  and  self-worship,  to  emancipate  us  from  sin's 
bondage  by  the  power  of  His  love,  that  we  might  acknowledge 
ourselves  to  be  His,  and  devote  ourselves  gratefully  to  His 
services. 

But  there  is  more  in  the  text  than  we  have  yet  found,  for 
Jesus  says  not  merely  that  He  is  to  lay  down  His  life  for  the 
many,  but  that  He  is  to  lay  down  His  life  in  the  form  of  a 
ransom.  The  question  is,  what  are  we  to  understand  by  this 
form  in  which  the  fact  of  death  is  expressed  .''  Now  it  may 
be  assumed  that  the  word  "ransom  "  was  used  by  Jesus  in  a 
sense  having  affinity  to  Old  Testament  usage.  The  Greek 
word  {XvTfiov)  is  employed  in  the  Septuagint  as  the  equivalent 
for  the  Hebrew  word  copJier  (laii),  about  whose  meaning 
there  has  been  much  discussion,  but  the  general  sense  of 
which  is  a  covering.  How  the  idea  of  covering  is  to  be 
taken,  whether  in  the  sense  of  shielding,  or  in  the  sense  of 
exactly  covering  the  same  surface,  as  one  penny  covers 
another,  i.e.  as  an  equivalent,  has  been  disputed,  and  must 
remain  doubtful'  The  theological  interest  of  the  question 
is  this,  that  if  we  accept  the  word  in  the  general  sense  of 
protection,  then  the  ransom  is  not  offered  or  accepted  as  a 
legal  equivalent  for  the  persons  or  things  redeemed,  but 
simply  as  something  of  a  certain  value  which  is  received  as  a 
matter  of  favor.     But  leaving  this  point  on  one  side,  what 

'  Ritschl  takes  the  former  view  (vide  Lehre  von  dcr  Rcchtfertigiing,  li.  So),  Hofmann 
tlie  other  (vide  Schriftbeweis). 


Tke  Sons  of  Zebedee  Again.  295 

we  are  concerned  with  in  connection  with  this  text  is  the 
broader  thought  that  Christ's  life  is  given  and  accepted  for 
the  Hves  of  many,  whether  as  an  exact  equivalent  or  other- 
wise being  left  indeterminate.  Jesus  represents  His  death 
voluntarily  endured  as  a  means  of  delivering  from  death  the 
souls  of  the  many ;  how  or  why  does  not  clearly  appear.  A 
German  theologian,  who  energetically  combats  the  Anselmian 
theory  of  satisfaction,  finds  in  the  word  these  three  thoughts : 
First,  the  ransom  is  offered  as  a  gift  to  God,  not  to  the  devil. 
Jesus,  having  undoubtedly  the  train  of  thought  in  Psalm  xlix.  in 
His  mind,  speaks  of  devoting  His  life  to  God  in  the  pursuit 
of  His  vocation,  not  of  subjecting  Himself  to  the  might  of 
sin  or  of  the  devil.  Second,  Jesus  not  only  presupposes  that 
no  man  can  offer  either  for  himself  or  for  others  a  valuable 
gift  capable  of  warding  off  death  unto  God,  as  the  Psalmist 
declares ;  but  He  asserts  that  in  this  view  He  Himself 
renders  a  service  in  the  place  of  many  which  no  one  of  them 
could  render  either  for  himself  or  for  another.  TJiird,  Jesus, 
having  in  mind  also,  doubtless,  the  words  of  Elihu  in  the 
Book  of  Job  concerning  an  angel,  one  of  a  thousand,  who 
may  avail  to  ransom  a  man  from  death,  distinguishes 
Himself  from  the  mass  of  men  liable  to  death  in  so  far  as 
He  regards  Himself  as  excepted  from  the  natural  doom  of 
death,  and  conceives  of  His  death  as  a  voluntary  act  by  which 
He  surrenders  His  life  to  God,  as  in  the  text  John  x.  17,  18.' 
In  taking  so  much  out  of  the  saying  we  do  not  subject  it  to 
undue  straining.  The  assumption  that  there  is  a  mental 
reference  to  the  Old  Testament  texts  in  the  forty-ninth 
Psalm  and  in  the  thirty-third  chapter  of  Job,  as  also  to  the 
redemption  of  the  males  among  the  children  of  Israel  by  the 
payment  of  a  half-shekel,  seems  reasonable;  and  in  the  light 
of  these  passages  it  does  not  seem  going  too  far  to  take  out 
of  our  Lord's  words  these  three  ideas  :  The  ransom  is  given 
to  God  (Psalm  xlix.  7 :  "  Nor  give  to  God  a  ransom  for 
him");  it  is  given  for  the  lives  of  men  doomed  to  die;  and 
it  is  available  for  such  a  purpose  because  the  thing  given 
is  the  life  of  an  exceptional  being,  one  among  a  thousand, 
not  a  brother  mortal  doomed  to  die,  but  an  angel  assuming 
flesh  that  He  may  freely  die.     Thus  the  text  contains,  besides 

'  Ritschl,  Lehre  von  der  Rechtfertigung,  ii.  84. 


296  The  Ti'aming  of  the  Twelve. 

the  general  truth  that  by  dying  in  self-sacrificing  love  the 
Son  of  man  awakens  in  the  many  a  sense  of  grateful  devotion 
that  carries  Him  to  a  throne,  this  more  special  one,  that  by 
His  death  He  puts  the  many  doomed  to  death  as  the  penalty 
of  sin  somehow  in  a  different  relation  to  God,  so  that  they 
are  no  longer  criminals,  but  sons  of  God,  heirs  of  eternal 
life,  members  of  the  holy  commonwealth,  enjoying  all  its 
privileges,  redeemed  by  the  life  of  the  King  Himself,  as  the 
half-shekel  offered  as  the  price  of  redemption. 

These  few  hints  must  suffice  as  an  indication  of  the  prob- 
able  meaning  of  the  autobiographical  saying  in  which  Jesus 
conveyed  to  His  disciples  tJieir  second  lesson  on  the  doctrine 
of  the  cross.'  With  two  additional  reflections  thereon  we  end 
this  chapter.  When  He  said  of  Himself  that  He  came  not  to 
be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  Jesus  alluded  not  merely 
to  His  death,  but  to  His  whole  life.  The  statement  is  an 
epitome  in  a  single  sentence  of  His  entire  earthly  history. 
The  reference  to  His  death  has  the  force  of  a  superlative. 
He  came  to  minister,  even  to  the  extent  of  giving  His  life 
a  ransom.  Then  this  saying,  while  breathing  the  spirit  of 
utter  lowliness,  at  the  same  time  betrays  the  consciousness 
of  superhuman  dignity.  Had  Jesus  not  been  more  than  man, 
His  language  would  not  have  been  humble,  but  presumptuous. 
Why  should  the  son  of  a  carpenter  say  of  Himself,  I  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto }  servile  position  and  occupation 
was  a  matter  of  course  for  such  an  one.  The  statement 
before  us  is  rational  and  humble,  only  as  coming  from  one 
who,  being  in  the  form  of  God,  freely  assumed  the  form  of 
a  servant,  and  became  obedient  unto  death  for  our  salvation. 

I   Vide  p.  183. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   ANOINTING    IN    BETHANY  ;    OR,    THIRD    LESSON    ON 
THE    DOCTRINE    OF    THE    CROSS. 

Matt.  xxvi.  6-13  ;  Mark  xiv.  3-9;  John  xii.  1-8. 

The  touching  story  of  the  anointing  of  Jesus  by  Mary 
at  Bethany  forms  part  of  the  preface  to  the  history  of  the 
passion,  as  recorded  in  the  synoptical  Gospels.  That  preface, 
as  given  most  fully  by  Matthew,  includes  four  particulars  : 
first,  a  statement  made  by  Jesus  to  His  disciples  two  days 
before  the  passover  concerning  His  betrayal  ;  second,  a  meet- 
ing of  the  priests  in  Jerusalem  to  consult  when  and  how 
Jesus  should  be  put  to  death  ;  tJiird,  the  anointing  by  Mary  ; 
fourth,  the  secret  correspondence  between  Judas  and  the 
priests.  In  Mark's  preface  the  first  of  these  four  particulars 
is  omitted  ;  in  Luke's  both  the  first  and  the  third. 

The  four  facts  related  by  the  first  evangelist  had  this  in 
common,  that  they  were  all  signs  that  the  end  so  often 
foretold  was  at  length  at  hand.  Jesus  now  says,  not  "the 
Son  of  man  shall  be  betrayed,"  but  "the  Son  of  man  is 
betrayed  to  be  crucified,"  The  ecclesiastical  authorities  of 
Israel  are  assembled  in  solemn  conclave,  not  to  discuss  the 
question  what  should  be  done  with  the  object  of  their  dislike 
—  that  is  already  determined  —  but  how  the  deed  of  darkness 
may  be  done  most  stealthily  and  most  securely.  The  Victim 
has  been  anointed  by  a  friendly  hand  for  the  approaching 
sacrifice.  And,  finally,  an  instrument  has  been  found  to 
relieve  the  priests  from  their  perplexity,  and  to  pave  the  way 
in  a  most  unexpected  manner  for  the  consummation  of  their 
wicked  purpose. 

The  grouping  of  the  incidents  in  the  introduction  to  the 
tragic  history  of  the  crucifixion  is  strikingly  dramatic  in  its 
effect.      First  comes  the  Sanhedrim  in  Jerusalem  plotting 

297 


298  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

against  the  life  of  the  Just  One.  Then  comes  Mary  at 
Bethany,  in  her  unutterable  love  breaking  her  alabaster  box, 
and  pouring  its  contents  on  the  head  and  feet  of  her  beloved 
Lord.  Last  comes  Judas,  offering  to  sell  his  Master  for  less 
than  Mary  wasted  on  a  useless  act  of  affection  !  Hatred  and 
baseness  on  either  hand,  and  true  love  in  the  midst.' 

This  memorable  transaction  of  Mary  with  her  alabaster 
box  belongs  to  the  history  of  the  passion,  in  virtue  of  the 
interpretation  put  upon  it  by  Jesus,  which  gives  to  it  the 
character  of  a  lyric  prelude  to  the  great  tragedy  enacted  on 
Calvary.  It  belongs  to  the  history  of  the  twelve  disciples, 
because  of  the  unfavorable  construction  which  they  put  on 
it.  All  the  disciples,  it  seems,  disapproved  of  the  action,  the 
only  difference  between  Judas  and  the  rest  being  that  he 
disapproved  on  hypocritical  grounds,  while  his  fellow-disciples 
were  honest  both  in  their  judgment  and  in  their  motives. 
By  their  fault-finding  the  twelve  rendered  to  Mary  a  good 
service.  They  secured  for  her  a  present  defender  in  Jesus, 
and  future  eulogists  in  themselves.  Their  censure  drew  from 
the  Lord  the  extraordinary  statement,  that  wheresoever  the 
gospel  might  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  what  Mary 
had  done  would  be  spoken  of  for  a  memorial  of  her.  This 
prophecy  the  fault-finding  disciples,  when  they  became  apos- 
tles, helped  to  fulfil.  They  felt  bound  by  the  virtual  com- 
mandment of  their  Master,  as  well  as  by  the  generous 
re-action  of  their  own  hearts,  to  make  amends  to  Mary  for 
former  wrong  done,  by  telling  the  tale  of  her  true  love  to 
Jesus  wherever  they  told  the  story  of  His  true  love  to  men. 
From  their  lips  the  touching  narrative  passed  in  due  course 
into  the  gospel  records,  to  be  read  with  a  thrill  of  delight  by 
true  Christians  to  the  end  of  time.  Verily  one  might  be 
content  to  be  spoken  against  for  a  season  for  the  sake  of 
such  chivalrous  championship  as  that  of  Jesus,  and  such 
magnanimous  recantations  as  those  of  His  apostles  ! 

When  we  consider  from  whom  Mary's  defence  proceeds, 
we  must  be  satisfied  that  it  was  not  merely  generous,  but 
just.  And  yet  surely  it  is  a  defence  of  a  most  surprising 
character  !     Verily  it  seems  as  if,  while  the  disciples  went  to 

'  On  the  apparent  discrepancy  between  the  synoptists  and  John  as  to  time,  and  on 
all  other  points  belonging  to  harmony,  see  the  commentaries,  especially  Alford  and  Stier. 


The  Anohiting  in  Betha7iy.  299 

one  extreme  in  blaming,  their  Lord  went  to  the  other  extreme 
in  praising ;  as  if,  in  so  lauding  the  woman  of  Bethany,  He 
were  but  repeating  her  extravagance  in  another  form.  You 
feel  tempted  to  ask  :  Was  her  action,  then,  so  pre-eminently 
meritorious  as  to  deserve  to  be  associated  with  the  gospel 
throughout  all  time  ?  Then,  as  to  the  explanation  of  the 
action  given  by  Jesus,  the  further  questions  suggest  them- 
selves :  Was  there  really  any  reference  in  Mary's  mind  to 
His  death  and  burial  while  she  was  performing  it  ?  Does 
not  Jesus  rather  impute  to  her  His  own  feeling,  and  invest 
her  act  with  an  ideal  poetic  significance,  which  lay  not  in  it, 
but  in  His  own  thoughts  ?  And  if  so,  can  we  indorse  the 
judgment  He  pronounced  ;  or  must  we,  on  the  question  as 
to  the  intrinsic  merit  of  Mary's  act,  give  our  vote  on  the 
side  of  the  twelve  against  their  Master  ? 

We,  for  our  part,  cordially  take  Christ's  side  of  the  question ; 
and  in  doing  so,  we  can  afford  to  make  two  admissions.  In 
the  first  place,  we  admit  that  Mary  had  no  thought  of 
embalming,  in  the  literal  sense,  the  dead  body  of  Jesus,  and 
possibly  was  not  thinking  of  His  death  at  all  when  she 
anointed  Him  with  the  precious  ointment.  Her  action  was 
simply  a  festive  honor  done  to  one  whom  she  loved  unspeak- 
ably, and  which  she  might  have  rendered  at  another  time.' 
We  admit  further,  that  it  would  certainly  have  been  an 
extravagance  to  speak  of  Mary's  deed,  however  noble,  as 
entitled  to  be  associated  with  the  gospel  everywhere  and 
throughout  all  time,  unless  it  were  fit  to  be  spoken  of  not 
merely  for  her  sake,  but  more  especially  for  the  gospel's  sake ; 
that  is  to  say,  unless  it  were  capable  of  being  made  use  of 
to  expound  the  nature  of  the  gospel.  In  other  words,  the 
breaking  of  the  alabaster  box  must  be  worthy  to  be  employed 
as  an  emblem  of  the  deed  of  love  performed  by  Jesus  in 
dying  on  the  cross. 

Such,  indeed,  we  believe  it  to  be.  Wherever  the  gospel  is 
truly  preached,  the  story  of  the  anointing  is  sure  to  be  prized 
as  the  best  possible  illustration  of  the  spirit  which  moved 

'  It  is  natural  to  connect  the  anointing  witli  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  and  to  find  in 
gratitude  for  the  restoration  of  a  brother  to  life  tlie  motive  to  that  deed  of  love.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  the  ointment  may  originally  have  been  provided  for  the  burial  rites 
of  Lazarus. 


300  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Jesus  to  lay  down  His  life,  as  also  of  the  spirit  of  Christianity 
as  it  manifests  itself  in  the  lives  of  sincere  believers.  The 
breaking  of  the  alabaster  box  is  a  beautiful  symbol  at  once  of 
Christ's  love  to  us  and  of  the  love  we  owe  to  Him.  As  Mary 
broke  her  box  of  ointment  and  poured  forth  its  precious 
contents,  so  Christ  broke  His  body  and  shed  His  precious 
blood ;  so  Christians  pour  forth  their  hearts  before  their 
Lord,  counting  not  their  very  lives  dear  for  His  sake. 
Christ's  death  was  a  breaking  of  an  alabaster  box  for  us  ; 
our  life  should  be  a  breaking  of  an  alabaster  box  for  Him. 

This  relation  of  spiritual  affinity  between  the  deed  of  Mary 
and  His  own  deed  in  dying  is  the  true  key  to  all  that  is 
enigmatical  in  the  language  of  Jesus  in  speaking  of  the 
former.  It  explains,  for  example,  the  remarkable  manner  in 
which  He  referred  to  the  gospel  in  connection  therewith. 
"  This  gospel,"  He  said,  as  if  it  had  been  already  spoken  of ; 
nay,  as  if  the  act  of  anointing  were  the  gospel.  And  so  it 
was  in  a  figure.  The  one  act  already  done  by  Mary  naturally 
suggested  to  the  mind  of  Jesus  the  other  act  about  to  be 
done  by  Himself.  "There,"  He  thought  within  Himself,  "in 
that  broken  vessel  and  outpoured  oil  is  my  death  fore- 
shadowed ;  in  the  hidden  motive  from  which  that  deed 
proceeded  is  the  eternal  spirit  in  which  I  offer  myself  a 
sacrifice  revealed."  This  thought  He  meant  to  express  when 
He  used  the  phrase  "this  gospel;"  and  in  putting  such  a 
construction  on  Mary's  deed  He  was  in  effect  giving  His 
disciples  their  third  lesson  on  tJie  doctrine  of  the  cross. 

In  the  light  of  this  same  relation  of  spiritual  affinity,  we 
clearly  perceive  the  true  meaning  of  the  statement  made  by 
Jesus  concerning  Mary's  act:  "In  that  she  hath  poured  this 
ointment  on  my  body,  she  did  it  for  my  burial."  It  was  a 
mystic,  poetic  explanation  of  a  most  poetic  deed,  and  as  such 
was  not  only  beautiful,  but  true.  For  the  anointing  in 
Bethany  has  helped  to  preserve,  to  embalm  so  to  speak,  the 
true  meaning  of  the  Saviour's  death.  It  has  supplied  us  with 
a  symbolic  act  through  which  to  understand  that  death  ;  it 
has  shed  around  the  cross  an  imperishable  aroma  of  self- 
forgetting  love ;  it  has  decked  the  Saviour's  grave  with 
flowers  that  never  shall  wither,  and  reared  for  Jesus,  as  well 
as  for  Mary,  a  memorial-stone  that  shall  endure  throughout 


The  Anointing  in  Bethany.  301 

all  generations.  Might  it  not  be  fitly  said  of  such  a  deed, 
She  did  it  for  my  burial  ?  Was  it  not  most  unfitly  said  of  a 
deed  capable  of  rendering  so  important  a  service  to  the  gospel, 
that  it  was  wasteful  and  useless  ? 

These  questions  will  be  answered  in  the  affirmative  by  all 
who  are  convinced  that  the  spiritual  affinity  asserted  by  us 
really  did  exist.  What  we  have  now  to  do,  therefore,  is  to 
show,  by  going  a  little  into  detail,  that  our  assertion  is  well 
founded. 

There  are  three  outstanding  points  of  resemblance  between 
Mary's  "  good  work  "  in  anointing  Jesus,  and  the  good  work 
wrought  by  Jesus  Himself  in  dying  on  the  cross. 

There  was  first  a  resemblance  in  motive.  Mary  wrought 
her  good  work  out  of  pure  love.  She  loved  Jesus  with  her 
whole  heart,  for  what  He  was,  for  what  He  had  done  for  the 
family  to  which  she  belonged,  and  for  the  words  of  instruction 
she  had  heard  from  His  lips  when  He  came  on  a  visit 
to  their  house.  There  was  such  a  love  in  her  heart  for  her 
friend  and  benefactor  as  imperatively  demanded  expression, 
and  yet  could  not  find  expression  in  words.  She  must  do 
something  to  relieve  her  pent-up  emotions  :  she  must  get 
an  alabaster  box  and  break  it,  and  pour  it  on  the  person  of 
Jesus,  else  her  heart  will  break. 

Herein  Mary's  act  resembles  closely  that  of  Jesus  in  dying 
on  the  cross,  and  in  coming  to  this  world  that  He  might  die. 
For  just  such  a  love  as  that  of  Mary,  only  far  deeper  and 
stronger,  moved  Him  to  sacrifice  Himself  for  us.  The  simple 
account  of  Christ's  whole  conduct  in  becoming  man,  and 
undergoing  what  is  recorded  of  Him,  is  this :  He  loved 
sinners.  After  wearying  themselves  in  studying  the  philoso- 
phy of  redemption,  learned  theologians  come  back  to  this  as 
the  most  satisfactory  explanation  that  can  be  given.  Jesus 
so  loved  sinners  as  to  lay  down  His  life  for  them  ;  nay,  we 
might  almost  say,  He  so  loved  them  that  He  must  needs 
come  and  die  for  them.  Like  Nehemiah,  the  Jewish  patriot 
in  the  court  of  the  Persian  king.  He  could  not  stay  in 
heaven's  court  while  His  brethren  far  away  on  earth  were 
in  an  evil  case  ;  He  must  ask  and  obtain  leave  to  go  down 
to  their  assistance.'     Or,    like    Mary,  He  must  procure  an 

*  See  Neh.  i.  and  ii.  Nehemiah,  like  Mary,  may  be  spoken  of  wherever  the  gospel  is 
preached,  to  illustrate  the  heart  of  the  Redeemer  and  interpret  His  thoughts. 


302  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

alabaster  box — a  human  body  —  fill  it  with  the  fine  essence 
of  a  human  soul,  and  pour  out  His  soul  unto  death  on  the 
cross  for  our  salvation.  The  spirit  of  Jesus,  yea,  the  spirit  of 
the  Eternal  God,  is  the  spirit  of  Mary  and  of  Nehemiah,  and 
of  all  who  are  like-minded  with  them.  In  reverence  we  ought 
rather  to  say,  the  spirit  of  such  is  the  spirit  of  Jesus  and  of 
God  ;  and  yet  it  is  needful  at  times  to  put  the  matter  in  the 
inverse  way.  For  somehow  we  are  slow  to  believe  that  love 
is  a  reality  for  God.  We  almost  shrink,  as  if  it  were  an 
impiety,  from  ascribing  to  the  Divine  Being  attributes  which 
we  confess  to  be  the  noblest  and  most  heroic  in  human 
character.  Hence  the  practical  value  of  the  sanction  here 
given  by  Jesus  to  the  association  of  the  anointing  in  Bethany 
with  the  crucifixion  on  Calvary.  He,  in  effect,  says  to  us 
thereby  :  Be  not  afraid  to  regard  my  death  as  an  act  of  the 
same  kind  as  that  of  Mary :  an  act  of  pure,  devoted  love. 
Let  the  aroma  of  her  ointment  circulate  about  the  neighbor- 
hood of  my  cross,  and  help  you  to  discern  the  sweet  savor 
of  my  sacrifice.  Amid  all  your  speculations  and  theories  on 
the  grand  theme  of  redemption,  take  heed  that  ye  fail  not  to 
see  in  my  death  my  loving  heart,  and  the  loving  heart  of  my 
Father,  revealed.' 

Mary's  "  good  work "  further  resembled  Christ's  in  its 
self-sacrificing  character.  It  was  not  without  an  effort  and  a 
sacrifice  that  that  devoted  woman  performed  her  famous  act 

'  There  is  a  tendency  among  theologians  of  an  ultra-scholastic  habit  of  mind  to 
treat  all  that  is  said  of  love  in  connection  with  the  atonement  as  sentimental,  or  at  most, 
as  available  only  for  popular  purposes,  and  to  represent  the  judicial  aspect  of  the  atone- 
ment as  alone  of  scientific  validity.  Thus  a  recent  writer  on  the  History  of  Doctrines 
(Shedd)  says :  "  All  true  scientific  development  of  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  it  is 
very  evident,  must  take  its  departure  from  the  idea  of  divine  justice.  This  conception  is 
the  primary  one  in  the  biblical  representation  of  this  doctrine."  This  author  is  greatly 
in  love  with  "  soteriologies "'  of  scientific  pretensions.  He  idolizes  Anselm  as  the  author 
of  tlie  "  first  metaphisique  of  the  Christian  doctrine  of  atonement,-'  and  as  the  first  to 
challenge  for  the  doctrine  of  vicarious  satisfaction  "both  a  rational  necessity  and  a  scien- 
tific rationality."  Anselm  did  certainly  carry  the  passion  for  h  priori  reasoning  on  the 
subject  of  redemption  to  its  extreme  limit.  He  aimed  to  demonstrate  not  only  a  hypo- 
thetical necessity  for  an  atonement  in  order  to  salvation,  but  an  absolute  necessity.  A 
certain  number  of  sinners,  he  maintained,  must  be  saved  to  fill  up  the  numbers  of  the 
fallen  angels,  as  "it  is  indubitable  tliat  rational  nature  which  is  or  is  to  be  happy  in 
the  contemplation  of  God  is  foreknown  by  God  in  a  certain  rational  and  perfect  number 
which  can  neither  be  more  nor  less"  ijCitr  Dens  Homo,  i.  c.  i6).  How  happy  is  one  to 
get  away  from  such  science  so  called  to  the  supper-room  in  Bethany !  Let  the  august 
attribute  of  justice  get  its  due  place  in  the  theology  of  the  atonement,  but  let  not  "  love" 
be  relegated  from  theology  to  popular  sermons.  Christ's  deatli  satisfied  both  divine 
justice  and  divine  love,  and  the  glory  of  the  gospel  is  that  the  same&wtni  satisfied  both. 


The  Anointing  in  Bethany. 


J^O 


of  homage.  All  the  evangelists  make  particular  mention 
of  the  costliness  of  the  ointment.  Mark  and  John  represent 
the  murmuring  disciples  as  estimating  its  value  at  the  round 
sum  of  three  hundred  pence  ;  equal,  say,  to  the  wages  of  a 
laboring  man  for  a  whole  year  at  the  then  current  rate  of 
a  denarius  per  day.  This  was  a  large  sum  in  itself  ;  but  what 
is  more  particularly  to  be  noted,  it  was  a  very  large  sum  for 
Mary.  This  we  learn  from  Christ's  own  words,  as  recorded 
by  the  second  evangelist.  "  She  hath  done  what  she  could," 
He  kindly  remarked  of  her,  in  defending  her  conduct  against 
the  harsh  censures  of  His  disciples.  It  was  a  remark  of  the 
same  kind  as  that  which  He  made  a  day  or  two  after  in 
Jerusalem  concerning  the  poor  widow  whom  He  saw  casting 
two  mites  into  the  temple  treasury  ;  and  it  implied  that 
Mary  had  expended  all  her  resources  on  that  singular  tribute 
of  respect  to  Him  whom  her  soul  loved.  All  her  earnings, 
all  her  little  hoard,  had  been  given  in  exchange  for  that  box, 
whose  precious  contents  she  poured  on  the  Saviour's  person. 
Hers  was  no  ordinary  love :  it  was  a  noble,  heroic,  self- 
sacrificing  devotion,  which  made  her  do  her  utmost  for  its 
object. 

Herein  the  woman  of  Bethany  resembled  the  Son  of  man. 
He,  too,  did  what  He  could.  Whatever  it  was  possible  for  a 
holy  being  to  endure  in  the  way  of  humiliation,  temptation, 
sorrow,  suffering,  yea,  even  in  the  way  of  becoming  "  sin  " 
and  "a  curse,"  He  willingly  underwent.  All  through  His 
life  on  earth  He  scrupulously  abstained  from  doing  aught 
that  might  tend  to  make  his  cup  of  affliction  come  short  of 
absolute  fulness.  He  denied  Himself  all  the  advantages 
of  divine  power  and  privilege  ;  He  emptied  Himself  ;  He 
made  Himself  poor;  He  became  in  all  possible  respects  like 
His  sinful  brethren,  that  He  might  qualify  Himself  for  being 
a  merciful  and  trustworthy  High  Priest  to  them  in  things 
pertaining  to  God.  Such  sacrifices  in  life  and  death  did  His 
love  impose  on  Him. 

While  imposing  sacrifices,  love,  by  way  of  compensation, 
makes  them  easy.  It  is  not  only  love's  destiny,  but  it  is 
love's  delight,  to  endure  hardships,  to  bear  burdens  for  the 
object  loved.  It  is  not  satisfied  till  it  has  found  an  opportu- 
nity of  embodying  itself  in  a  service  involving  cost,  labor. 


304  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

pain.  The  things  from  which  selfishness  shrinks  love 
ardently  longs  for.  These  reflections,  we  believe,  are  appli- 
cable to  Mary.  With  her  love  to  Jesus,  it  was  more  easy 
for  her  to  do  what  she  did  than  to  refrain  from  doing  it. 
But  love's  readiness  and  eagerness  to  sacrifice  herself  are 
most  signally  exemplified  in  the  case  of  Jesus  Himself.  It 
was  indeed  His  pleasure  to  suffer  for  our  redemption.  Far 
from  shrinking  from  the  cross,  He  looked  forward  to  it  with 
earnest  desire  ;  and  when  the  hour  of  His  passion  approached, 
He  spoke  of  it  as  the  hour  of  His  glorification.  He  had  no 
thought  of  achieving  our  salvation  at  the  smallest  possible 
cost  to  Himself.  His  feeling  was  rather  akin  to  this  :  "The 
more  I  suffer  the  better :  the  more  thoroughly  shall  I  realize 
my  identity  with  my  brethren  ;  the  more  completely  will  the 
sympathetic,  burden  -  bearing,  help -bringing  instincts  and 
yearnings  of  my  love  be  satisfied."  Yes  :  Jesus  had  more 
to  do  than  to  purchase  sinners  for  as  small  a  price  as  would 
be  accepted  for  their  ransom.  He  had  to  do  justice  to  His 
own  heart  ;  He  had  adequately  to  express  its  deep  compas- 
sion ;  and  no  act  of  limited  or  calculated  dimensions  would 
avail  to  exhaust  the  contents  of  that  whose  dimensions  were 
immeasurable.  Measured  suffering,  especially  when  endured 
by  so  august  a  personage,  might  satisfy  divine  justice,  but  it 
could  not  satisfy  divine  love. 

A  third  feature  which  fitted  Mary's  "  good  work "  to  be 
an  emblem  of  the  Saviour's,  was  its  'magnificence.  This 
also  appeared  in  the  expenditure  connected  with  the  act  of 
anointing,  which  was  not  only  such  as  involved  a  sacrifice  for 
a  person  of  her  means,  but  very  liberal  with  reference  to  the 
purpose  in  hand.  The  quantity  of  oil  employed  in  the  service 
was,  according  to  John,  not  less  than  a  pound  weight.  This 
was  much  more  than  could  be  said  to  be  necessary.  There  was 
an  appearance  of  waste  and  extravagance  in  the  manner 
of  the  anointing,  even  admitting  the  thing  in  itself  to  be 
right  and  proper.  Whether  the  disciples  would  have  objected 
to  the  ceremony,  however  performed,  does  not  appear  ;  but 
it  was  evidently  the  extravagant  amount  of  ointment  expended 
which  was  the  prominent  object  of  their  displeasure.  We 
conceive  them  as  saying  in  effect  :  "  Surely  less  might  have 
done  ;  the  greater  part  at  least,   if   not  the  whole  of   this 


The  Anointing  in  Bethany.  305 

ointment,  might  have  been  saved  for  other  uses.  This  is 
simply  senseless,  prodigal  expenditure." 

What  to  the  narrow-hearted  disciples  seemed  prodigality- 
was  but  the  princely  magnificence  of  love,  which,  as  even  a 
heathen  philosopher  could  tell,  considers  not  for  how  much 
or  how  little  this  or  that  can  be  done,  but  hov/  it  can  be  done 
most  gracefully  and  handsomely.'  And  what  seemed  to 
them  purposeless  waste  served  at  least  one  good  purpose. 
It  symbolized  a  similar  characteristic  of  Christ's  good  work 
as  the  Saviour  of  sinners.  He  did  His  work  magnificently, 
and  in  no  mean,  economical  way.  He  accomplished  the 
redemption  of  "  many  "  by  means  adequate  to  redeem  all, 
"With  Him  is  plenteous  redemption."  He  did  not  measure 
out  His  blood  in  proportion  to  the  number  to  be  saved,  nor 
limit  His  sympathies  as  the  sinner's  friend  to  the  elect. 
He  shed  bitter  tears  for  doomed  souls  ;  He  shed  His  blood 
without  measure,  and  without  respect  to  numbers,  and 
offered  an  atonement  which  was  sufficient  for  the  sins  of 
the  world.  Nor  was  this  attribute  of  universal  sufficiency 
attaching  to  His  atoning  work  one  to  which  He  was  indif- 
ferent. On  the  contrary,  it  appears  to  have  been  in  His 
thoughts  at  the  very  moment  He  uttered  the  words  authoriz- 
ing the  association  of  Mary's  deed  of  love  with  the  gospel. 
For  He  speaks  of  that  gospel,  which  was  to  consist  in  the 
proclamation  of  His  deed  of  love  in  dying  for  sinners,  as  a 
gospel  for  the  whole  world  ;  evidently  desiring  that,  as  the 
odor  of  Mary's  ointment  filled  the  room  in  which  the  guests 
were  assembled,  so  the  aroma  of  His  sacrifice  might  be 
diffused  as  an  atmosphere  of  saving  health  among  all  the 
nations. 

We  may  say,  therefore,  that  in  defending  Mary  against  the 
charge  of  waste,  Jesus  was  at  the  same  time  defending  Him- 
self ;  replying  by  anticipation  to  such  questions  as  these  :  To 
what  purpose  weep  over  doomed  Jerusalem  .''  why  sorrow  for 
souls  that  are  after  all  to  perish  t  why  trouble  Himself  about 
men  not  elected  to  salvation .''  why  command  His  gospel 
to  be  preached  to  every  creature,  with  an  emphasis  which 
seems  to  say  He  wishes  every  one  saved,  when  He  knows 
only  a   definite    number  will  believe   the    report  .■*  why  not 

*   Vide  p.  25. 


o 


06  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 


confine  His  sympathies  and  His  solicitudes  to  those  who 
shall  be  effectually  benefited  by  them  ?  why  not  restrict  His 
love  to  the  channel  of  the  covenant  ?  why  allow  it  to  overflow 
the  embankments  like  a  river  in  full  flood  ? ' 

Such  questions  betray  ignorance  of  the  conditions  under 
which  even  the  elect  are  saved.  Christ  could  not  save  any 
unless  He  were  heartily  willing  to  save  all,  for  that  willing- 
ness is  a  part  of  the  perfect  righteousness  which  it  behoved 
Him  to  fulfil.  The  sum  of  duty  is,  Love  God  supremely, 
and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself;  and  "neighbor"  means,  for 
Christ  as  for  us,  every  one  who  needs  help,  and  whom  He 
can  help.  But  not  to  dwell  on  this,  we  remark  that  such 
questions  show  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  love.  Magnifi- 
cence, misnamed  by  churls  extravagance  and  waste,  is  an 
invariable  attribute  of  all  true  love.  David  recognized  this 
truth  when  he  selected  the  profuse  anointing  of  Aaron  with 
the  oil  of  consecration  at  his  installation  into  the  office  of 
high  priest  as  a  fit  emblem  of  brotherly  love.^  There  was 
"waste  "  in  that  anointing  too,  as  well  as  in  the  one  which 
took  place  at  Bethany.  For  the  oil  was  not  sprinkled  on  the 
head  of  Aaron,  though  that  might  have  been  sufficient  for 
the  purpose  of  a  mere  ceremony.  The  vessel  was  emptied 
on  the  high  priest's  person,  so  that  its  contents  flowed  down 
from  the  head  upon  the  beard,  and  even  to  the  skirts  of 
the  sacerdotal  robes.  In  that  very  waste  lay  the  point  of  the 
resemblance  for  David.  It  was  a  feature  that  was  likely  to 
strike  his  mind,  for  he,  too,  was  a  wasteful  man  in  his  way. 
He  had  loved  God  in  a  manner  which  exposed  him  to  the 
charge  of  extravagance.  He  had  danced  before  the  Lord, 
for  example,  when  the  ark  was  brought  up  from  the  house  of 
Obed-edom  to  Jerusalem,  forgetful  of  his  dignity,  exceeding 
the  bounds  of  decorum,  and,  as  it  might  seem,  without 
excuse,  as  a  much  less  hearty  demonstration  of  his  feelings 
would  have  served  the  purpose  of  a  religious  solemnity.^ 

David,  Mary,  Jesus,  all  loving,  devoted  beings,  prophets, 

'  On  the  apparent  waste  in  the  economy  of  redemption,  there  are  some  good  remarks 
in  the  writings  of  Andrew  Fuller,  and  especially  in  Three  Conversations  on  Particular 
Redemption.  He  says  :  "  It  accords  with  the  general  conduct  of  God  to  impart  His  favors 
with  a  kind  of  profusion  which,  to  the  mind  of  man  that  sees  only  one  or  two  ends  to  be 
answered  by  them,  may  have  the  appearance  of  waste." 

^  Ps.  cxxxiii.  *  2  Sam.  vi. 


The  Anointing  in  Bethany.  307 

apostles,  martyrs,  confessors,  belong  to  one  company,  and 
come  all  under  one  condemnation.  They  must  all  j^lead 
guilty  to  a  waste  of  affection,  sorrow,  labor,  tears  ;  all  live  so 
as  to  earn  for  themselves  the  blame  of  extravagance,  which 
is  their  highest  praise.  David  dances,  and  Michal  sneers  ; 
prophets  break  their  hearts  for  their  people's  sins  and 
miseries,  and  the  people  make  sport  of  their  grief ;  Marys 
break  their  alabaster  boxes,  and  frigid  disciples  object  to  the 
waste  ;  men  of  God  sacrifice  their  all  for  their  religious  con- 
victions, and  the  world  calls  them  fools  for  their  pains,  and 
philosophers  bid  them  beware  of  being  martyrs  by  mistake  ; 
Jesus  weeps  over  sinners  that  will  not  come  to  Him  to  be 
saved,  and  thankless  men  ask,  Why  shed  tears  over  vessels 
of  wrath  fitted  for  destruction  ? 

We  have  thus  seen  that  Mary's  good  deed  was  a  fit  and 
worthy  emblem  of  the  good  deed  of  Jesus  Christ  in  dying 
on  the  cross.  We  are  now  to  show  that  Mary  herself  is  in 
some  important  respects  worthy  to  be  spoken  of  as  a  model 
Christian.  Three  features  in  her  character  entitle  her  to 
this  honorable  name. 

First  among  these  is  her  enthusiastic  attachment  to  the 
person  of  Christ.  The  most  prominent  feature  in  Mary's 
character  was  her  power  of  loving,  her  capacity  of  self- 
devotion.  It  was  this  virtue,  as  manifested  in  her  action,  that 
elicited  the  admiration  of  Jesus.  He  was  so  delighted  with  the 
chivalrous  deed  of  love,  that  He,  so  to  speak,  canonized  Mary 
on  the  spot,  as  a  king  might  confer  knighthood  on  the  battle- 
field on  a  soldier  who  had  performed  some  noble  feat  of  arms. 
"Behold,"  He  said  in  effect,  "here  is  what  I  understand  by 
Christianity  :  an  unselfish  and  uncalculating  devotion  to  me 
as  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  and  as  the  Sovereign  of  the  king- 
dom of  truth  and  righteousness.  Therefore,  wherever  the 
gospel  is  preached,  let  this  that  this  woman  hath  done  be 
spoken  of,  not  merely  as  a  memorial  of  her,  but  to  intimate 
what  I  expect  of  all  who  believe  in  me." 

In  so  commending  Mary,  Jesus  gives  us  to  understand  in 
effect  that  devotion  is  the  chief  of  Christian  virtues.  He 
proclaims  the  same  doctrine  afterwards  taught  by  one  who, 
though  last,  was  the  first  of  all  the  apostles  in  his  comprehen- 
sion of  the  mind  of  Christ  —  the  Apostle  Paul.     That  glowing 


J 


08  The  Training  of  the  Tzvelve. 


panegyric  on  charity,  so  well  known  to  all  readers  of  his 
epistles,  in  which  he  makes  eloquence,  knowledge,  faith,  the 
gift  of  tongues,  and  the  gift  of  prophecy,  do  obeisance  to  her, 
as  the  sovereign  virtue,  is  but  the  faithful  interpretation  in 
general  terms  of  the  encomium  pronounced  on  the  woman  of 
Bethany.  The  story  of  the  anointing  and  the  thirteenth 
chapter  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  may  be  read 
with  advantage  together. 

In  making  love  the  test  and  measure  of  excellence,  Jesus 
and  Paul,  and  the  rest  of  the  apostles  (for  they  all  shared  the 
Master's  mind  at  last),  differ  widely  from  the  world  religious 
and  irreligious.  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  scrupulous  religion- 
ists, and  unscrupulous  men  of  no  religion,  agree  in  disliking 
ardent,  enthusiastic,  chivalrous  devotion,  even  in  the  most 
noble  cause.  They  are  wise  and  prudent,  and  their  philosophy 
might  be  embodied  in  such  maxims  as  these:  "Be  not  too 
catholic  in  your  sentiments,  too  warm  in  your  sympathies, 
too  keen  in  your  sense  of  duty ;  never  allow  your  heart  to 
get  the  better  of  your  head,  or  your  principles  to  interfere 
with  your  interest."  So  widely  diffused  is  the  dislike  to 
earnestness,  especially  in  good,  that  all  nations  have  their 
proverbs  against  enthusiasm.  The  Greeks  had  their  /^rySev 
ayar,  the  Latins  their  Ne  quid  nimis  ;  '  expressing  scepticism 
in  proverb-maker  and  proverb-quoter  as  to  the  possibility  of 
wisdom  being  enthusiastic  about  any  thing.  The  world  is 
prosaic,  not  poetic,  in  temperament  —  prudential,  not  impul- 
sive :  it  abhors  eccentricity  in  good  or  in  evil ;  it  prefers  a 
dead  level  of  mediocrity,  moderation,  and  self-possession  ; 
its  model  man  is  one  who  never  forgets  himself,  either  by 
sinking  below  himself  in  folly  or  wickedness,  or  by  rising 
above  himself,  and  getting  rid  of  meanness,  pride,  selfishness, 
cowardice,  and  vanity  in  devotion  to  a  noble  cause. 

The  twelve  were  like  the  world  in  their  temperament  at  the 
time  of  the  anointing :  they  seem  to  have  regarded  Mary  as 
a  romantic,  quixotic,  crazy  creature,  and  her  action  as  absurd 
and  indefensible.  They  objected  not,  of  course,  to  her  love 
of  Jesus  ;  but  they  deemed  the  manner  of  its  manifestation 
foolish,  as  the  money  spent  on  the  ointment  might  have 
been  applied  to  a  better  purpose  —  say,  to  the  relief  of   the 

*  The  Scotch  proverb  to  the  same  effect  is,  "  Nae  owers  are  guid." 


The  Anointing  in  Bethany.  309 

destitute  —  and  Jesns  loved  nothing  the  less,  seeing  that, 
according  to  His  own  teaching,  all  philanthropic  actions  were 
deeds  of  kindness  to  Himself.  And,  on  first  thoughts,  one 
is  half  inclined  to  say  that  they  had  reason  on  their  side,  and 
were  far  wiser,  while  not  less  devoted  to  Jesus  than  Mary. 
But  look  at  their  behavior  on  the  day  of  their  Lord's  cruci- 
fixion, and  learn  the  difference  between  them  and  her.  Mary 
loved  so  ardently  as  to  be  beyond  calculations  of  conse- 
quences or  expenses  ;  they  loved  so  coldly,  that  there  was 
room  for  fear  in  their  hearts  :  therefore,  while  Mary  spent 
her  all  on  the  ointment,  they  all  forsook  their  Master,  and 
fled  to  save  their  own  lives.  Whence  we  can  see  that,  despite 
occasional  extravagances,  apparent  or  real,  that  spirit  is 
wisest  as  well  as  noblest  which  makes  us  incapable  of  calcula- 
tion, and  proof  against  temptations  arising  therefrom.  One 
rash,  blundering,  but  heroic  Luther  is  worth  a  thousand  men 
of  the  Erasmus  type,  unspeakably  wise,  but  cold,  passionless, 
timid,  and  time-serving.  Scholarship  is  great,  but  action  is 
greater ;  and  the  power  to  do  noble  actions  comes  from  love. 
How  great  is  the  devoted  Mary  compared  with  the  cold- 
hearted  disciples  !  She  does  noble  deeds,  and  they  criticise 
them.  Poor  work  for  a  human  being,  criticism,  especially  the 
sort  that  abounds  in  fault-finding !  Love  does  not  care  for 
such  occupation  ;  it  is  too  petty  for  her  generous  mind.  If 
there  be  room  for  praise,  she  will  give  that  in  unstinted 
measure  ;  but  rather  than  carp  and  blame,  she  prefers  to  be 
silent.  Then  observe  again  how  love  in  Mary  becomes  a 
substitute  for  prescience.  She  does  not  know  that  Jesus  is 
about  to  die,  but  she  acts  as  if  she  did.  Such  as  Mary  can 
divine ;  the  instincts  of  love,  the  inspiration  of  the  God  of 
love,  teach  them  to  do  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time, 
which  is  the  very  highest  attainment  of  true  wisdom.  On 
the  other  hand,  we  see  in  the  case  of  the  disciples  how 
coldness  of  heart  consumes  knowledge  and  makes  men 
stupid.  They  had  received  far  more  information  than  Mary 
concerning  the  future.  If  they  did  not  know  that  Jesus  was 
about  to  be  put  to  death,  they  ought  to  have  known  from  the 
many  hints  and  even  plain  intimations  which  had  been  given 
them.  But,  alas  !  they  had  forgot  all  these.  And  why  .?  For 
the  same  reason  which  makes  all  men  so  forgetful  of  things 


3IO  The   Training  of  the   Twelve. 

pertaining  to  their  neighbors.  The  twelve  were  too  much 
taken  up  with  their  own  affairs.  Their  heads  were  filled 
with  vain  dreams  of  worldly  ambition,  and  so  their  Master's 
words  were  forgotten  almost  as  soon  as  they  were  uttered, 
and  it  became  needful  that  He  should  tell  them  pathetically 
and  reproachfully  :  "The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you,  but 
me  ye  have  not  always."  Men  so  minded  never  understand 
the  times,  so  as  to  know  what  Israel  ought  to  do,  or  to 
approve  the  conduct   of  those  who  do  know. 

A  second  admirable  feature  in  Mary's  character  was  the 
freedom  of  her  spirit.  She  was  not  tied  down  to  methods 
and  rules  of  well-doing.  The  disciples,  judging  from  their 
language,  seem  to  have  been  great  methodists,  servile  in 
their  adherence  to  certain  stereotyped  modes  of  action. 
"  This  ointment,"  said  they,  "  might  have  been  sold  for  much, 
and  given  to  Xho.  poor."  They  understand  that  charity  to  the 
poor  is  a  very  important  duty  :  they  know  that  their  Master 
often  referred  to  it  ;  and  they  make  it  every  thing.  "  Charity," 
in  the  sense  of  almsgiving,'  is  their  hobby.  When  Judas 
went  out  to  betray  his  Lord,  they  fancied  that  he  was  gone 
to  distribute  what  remained  of  the  supper  among  some  poor 
persons  of  his  acquaintance.  Their  very  ideas  of  well-doing 
appear  to  be  method-ridden.  Good  works  with  them  do  not 
seem  to  be  co-extensive  with  noble  deeds  of  all  sorts.  The 
phrase  is  technical,  and  limited  in  its  application  to  a  confined 
circle  of  actions  of  an  expressly  and  obviously  religious  and 
benevolent  nature. 

Not  so  with  Mary.  She  knows  of  more  ways  of  doing 
good  than  one.  She  can  invent  ways  of  her  own.  She  is 
original,  creative,  not  slavishly  imitative.  And  she  is  as 
fearless  as  she  is  original.  She  cannot  only  imagine  forms 
of  well-doing  out  of  the  beaten  track,  but  she  has  the  courage 
to  realize  her  conceptions.  She  is  not  afraid  of  the  public. 
She  does  not  ask  beforehand.  What  will  the  twelve  think 

'  We  cannot  regard  as  an  improvement  the  exclusion  of  the  word  charity  from  the 
Revised  Version.  The  motive  is  obvious  enough,  the  fact  that  it  is  often  employed  in 
the  sense  of  alms-giving.  But  it  has  a  well-understood  sense  besides  that,  viz.  "  catholic 
love ;  "  and  it  is  altogether  too  precious  a  word  in  our  religious  vocabulary  to  be  thrown 
away.  The  effect  of  the  omission  on  tlie  style  of  the  R.  V.  is  sometimes  very  unhappy. 
Thus  in  2  Pet.  i.  7,  for  "  to  brotherly  kindness  charity,"  in  the  A.  V.,  we  have  in  R.  V., 
'■  in  your  love  of  the  brethren  love."     What  could  be  more  helpless  ? 


The  Anointing  in  Bethany.  311 

of  this  ?  With  a  free  mind  she  forms  her  plan,  and  with 
prompt,  free  hand  she  forthwith  executes  it. 

For  this  freedom  Mary  was  indebted  to  her  large  heart. 
Love  made  her  original  in  thought  and  conduct.  People 
without  heart  cannot  be  original  as  she  was.  They  may 
addict  themselves  to  good  works  from  one  motive  or  another  ; 
but  they  go  about  them  in  a  very  slavish,  mechanical  way. 
They  have  to  be  told  by  some  individual  in  whom  they 
confide,  or  more  commonly,  by  custom  or  fashion,  what  to 
do  ;  and  hence  they  never  do  any  good  which  is  not  in  vogue. 
But  Mary  needed  no  counsellor :  she  took  counsel  of  her  own 
heart.  Love  told  her  infallibly  what  was  the  duty  of  the 
hour  ;  that  her  business  for  the  present  was  not  to  give  alms, 
but  to  anoint  the  person  of  the  great  High  Priest. 

We  may  learn  from  the  example  of  Mary  that  love  is,  not 
less  than  necessity,  the  mother  of  invention.  A  great  heart 
has  fully  as  much  to  do  with  spiritual  originality  as  a  clever 
head.  What  is  needed  to  fill  the  church  with  original 
preachers,  original  givers,  original  actors  in  all  departments 
of  Christian  work,  is  not  more  brains,  or  more  training,  or 
more  opportunities,  but  above  all,  more  heart.  When  there 
is  little  love  in  the  Christian  community,  it  resembles  a 
river  in  dry  weather,  which  not  only  keeps  within  its  banks, 
but  does  not  even  occupy  the  whole  of  its  channel,  leaving 
large  beds  of  gravel  or  sand  lying  high  and  dry  on  both  sides 
of  the  current.  But  when  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad 
in  the  hearts  of  her  members,  the  church  becomes  like  the 
same  river  in  time  of  rain.  The  stream  begins  to  rise,  all 
the  gravel  beds  gradually  disappear,  and  at  length  the  swollen 
flood  not  only  fills  its  channel,  but  overflows  its  banks,  and 
spreads  over  the  meadows.  New  methods  of  well-doing 
are  then  attempted,  and  new  measures  of  well-doing  reached ; 
new  songs  are  indited  and  sung ;  new  forms  of  expression 
for  old  truths  are  invented,  not  for  the  sake  of  novelty,  but 
in  the  creative  might  of  a  new  spiritual  life. 

It  was  love  that  made  Mary  free  from  fear,  as  well  as  from 
the  bondage  of  mechanical  custom.  "  Love,"  saith  one  who 
knew  love's  power  well,  "  casteth  out  fear."  Love  can  make 
even  shrinking,  sensitive  women  bold  —  bolder  even  than 
men.     It  can  teach  us  to  disregard  that  thing  called  public 


312  The  Ti^aining  of  the   Twelve. 

opinion,  before  which  all  mankind  cowers.  It  was  love  that 
made  Peter  and  John  so  bold  when  they  stood  before  the 
Sanhedrim.  They  had  been  with  Jesus  long  enough  to  love 
Him  more  than  their  own  life,  and  therefore  they  quailed  not 
before  the  face  of  the  mighty.  It  was  love  that  made  Jesus 
Himself  so  indifferent  to  censure,  and  so  disregardful  of 
conventional  restraints  in  the  prosecution  of  His  work.  His 
heart  was  so  devoted  to  His  philanthropic  mission,  that  He 
set  at  defiance  the  world's  disapprobation  ;  nay,  probably  did 
not  so  much  as  think  of  it,  except  when  it  obtruded  itself 
upon  His  notice.  And  what  love  did  for  Mary,  and  for  Jesus, 
and  for  the  apostles  in  after  days,  it  does  for  all.  Wherever 
it  exists  in  liberal  measure,  it  banishes  timidity  and  shyness, 
and  the  imbecility  which  accompanies  these,  and  brings  along 
with  it  power  of  character  and  soundness  of  mind.  And 
to  crown  the  encomium,  we  may  add,  that  while  it  makes 
us  bold,  love  does  not  make  us  impudent.  Some  men  are 
bold  because  they  are  too  selfish  to  care  for  other  people's 
feelings.  Those  who  are  bold  through  love  may  dare  to  do 
things  which  will  be  found  fault  with  ;  but  they  are  always 
anxious,  as  far  as  possible,  to  please  their  neighbors,  and  to 
avoid  giving  offence. 

One  remark  more  let  us  make  under  this  head.  The  liberty 
which  springs  from  love  can  never  be  dangerous.  In  these 
days  many  people  are  greatly  alarmed  at  the  progress  of 
broad  school  theology.  And  of  the  breadth  that  consists  in 
sceptical  indiffei'ence  to  catholic  Christian  truth  we  do  well  to 
be  jealous.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the  breadth  and 
freedom  due  to  consuming  love  for  Christ,  and  all  the  grand 
interests  of  His  kindgom,  we  cannot  have  too  much.  The 
spirit  of  charity  may  indeed  treat  as  comparatively  light 
matters,  things  which  men  of  austere  mind  deem  of  almost 
vital  importance,  and  may  be  disposed  to  do  things  which 
men  more  enamoured  of  order  and  use  and  wont  than  of 
freedom  may  consider  licentious  innovations.  But  the  harm 
done  will  be  imaginary  rather  than  real  ;  and  even  if  it  were 
otherwise,  the  impulsive  Marys  are  never  so  numerous  in  the 
church  that  they  may  not  safely  be  tolerated.  There  are 
always  a  sufficient  number  of  prosaic,  order-loving  disciples 
to  keep  their  quixotic  brethren  in  due  check. 


The  Anointmg  in  Bethany,  313 

Finally,  the  nobility  of  Mary's  spirit  was  not  less  remark- 
able than  its  freedom.  There  was  no  taint  of  vulgar 
utilitarianism  about  her  character.  She  thought  habitually, 
not  of  the  immediately,  obviously,  and  materially  useful,  but 
of  the  honorable,  the  lovely,  the  morally  beautiful.  Hard, 
practical  men  might  have  pronounced  her  a  romantic,  sen- 
timental, dreamy  mystic  ;  but  a  more  just,  appreciative 
estimate  would  represent  her  as  a  woman  whose  virtues  were 
heroic  and  chivalrous  rather  than  commercial.  Jesus  signal- 
ized the  salient  point  in  Mary's  character  by  the  epithet 
which  He  employed  to  describe  her  action.  He  did  not  call 
it  a  useful  work,  but  a  good,  or,  better  still,  a  iwblc  work. 

And  yet,  while  Mary's  deed  was  characteristically  noble, 
it  was  not  the  less  useful.  All  good  deeds  are  useful  in  some 
way  and  at  some  time  or  other.  All  noble  and  beautiful 
things  —  thoughts,  words,  deeds  —  contribute  ultimately  to 
the  benefit  of  the  world.  Only  the  uses  of  such  deeds  as 
Mary's  —  of  the  best  and  noblest  needs  —  are  not  always 
apparent  or  appreciable.  If  we  were  to  make  immediate, 
obvious,  and  vulgar  uses  the  test  of  what  is  right,  we  should 
exclude  not  only  the  anointing  in  Bethany,  but  all  fine  poems 
and  works  of  art,  all  sacrifices  of  material  advantage  to  truth 
and  duty ;  every  thing,  in  fact,  that  has  not  tended  directly 
to  increase  outward  wealth  and  comfort,  but  has  merely 
helped  to  redeem  the  world  from  vulgarity,  given  us  glimpses 
of  the  far-off  land  of  beauty  and  goodness,  concerning  which 
we  now  and  then  but  faintly  dream,  brought  us  into  contact 
with  the  divine  and  the  eternal,  made  the  earth  classic 
ground,  a  field  where  heroes  have  fought,  and  where  their 
bones  are  buried,  and  where  the  moss-grown  stone  stands  to 
commemorate  their  valor. 

In  this  nobility  of  spirit  Mary  was  pre-eminently  tJie 
Christian.  For  the  genius  of  Christianity  is  certainly  not 
utilitarian.  Its  counsel  is  :  "  Whatsoever  things  are  true, 
whatsoever  things  are  venerable,  whatsoever  things  are  just, 
whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely, 
think  of  these  things."  All  these  things  are  emphatically 
useful ;  but  it  is  not  of  their  utility,  but  of  themselves,  we  are 
asked  to  think,  and  that  for  a  very  good  reason.  Precisely 
in  order  to  be  useful,  we  must  aim  at  something  higher  than 


314  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

usefulness;  just  as,  in  order  to  be  happy,  we  must  aim  at 
sometliing  higher  than  happiness.  We  must  make  right 
revealed  to  us  by  an  enlightened  conscience  and  a  loving 
pure  heart  our  rule  of  duty,  and  then  we  may  be  sure  that 
uses  of  all  kinds  will  be  served  by  our  conduct,  whether  we 
foresee  them  or  not ;  whereas,  if  we  make  calculations  of 
utility  our  guide  in  action,  we  shall  leave  undone  the  things 
which  are  noblest  and  best,  because  as  a  rule  the  uses  of  such 
things  are  least  obvious,  and  longest  in  making  their  appear- 
ance. Supremely  useful  to  the  world  is  the  heroic  devotion  of 
the  martyr ;  but  it  takes  centuries  to  develop  the  benefits 
of  martyrdom  ;  and  if  all  men  had  followed  the  maxims  of 
utilitarian  philosophy,  and  made  utility  their  motive  to  action, 
there  would  never  have  been  any  martyrs  at  all.  Utilitarian- 
ism tends  to  trimming  and  time-serving;  it  is  the  death  of 
heroism  and  self-sacrifice ;  it  walks  by  sight,  and  not  by 
faith  ;  it  looks  only  to  the  present,  and  forgets  the  future ;  it 
seats  prudence  on  the  throne  of  conscience ;  it  produces 
not  great  characters,  but  at  best  petty  busybodics.  These 
things  being  considered,  it  need  not  surprise  us  to  find  that 
the  term  "usefulness,"  of  such  frequent  recurrence  in  the 
religious  vocabulary  of  the  present  day,  has  no  place  in 
the  New  Testament.' 

Four  further  observations  may  fitly  close  these  meditations 
on  the  memorable  transactions  in  Bethany. 

1.  In  all  the  attributes  of  character  hitherto  enumerated, 
Mary  was  a  model  of  genuinely  evangelic  piety.  The  evan- 
gelic spirit  is  a  spirit  of  noble  love  and  fearless  liberty.  It 
is  a  counterfeit  evangelicism  that  is  a  slave  to  the  past,  to 
tradition,  to  fixed  customs  and  methods  in  religion.  The  true 
name  for  this  temper  and  tendency  is  legalism. 

2.  From  Christ's  defence  of  Mary  we  may  learn  that  being 
found  fault  with  is  not  infallible  evidence  of  being  wrong.  A 
much-blamed  man  is  commonly  considered  to  have  done  some- 
thing amiss,  as  the  only  possible  reason  for  his  being  censured. 
But,  in  truth,  he  may  only  have  done  something  unusual  ;  for 
all  unusual  things  are  found  fault  with  —  the  unusually  good  as 
well  as,  nay,  more  than,  the  unusually  bad.     Hence  it  comes 

'  On  the  defects  of  utilitarian  morality  see  Sir  James  Macintosh's  Dissertation,  under 
Jeremy  Bentham. 


The  Anointing  in  Bethany.  315 

that  Paul  makes  the  apparently  superfluous  remark,  that  there 
is  no  law  against  love  and  its  kindred  graces.  In  point  of 
fact,  these  virtues  are  treated  as  if  illegal  and  criminal  when- 
ever they  exceed  the  usual  stinted  niggard  measure  in  which 
such  precious  metals  are  found  in  the  world.  Was  not  He 
who  perfectly  embodied  all  the  heavenly  graces  flung  out  of 
existence  by  the  world  as  a  person  not  to  be  tolerated  ? 
Happily  the  world  ultimately  comes  round  to  a  juster  opinion, 
though  often  too  late  to  be  of  service  to  those  who  have 
suffered  wrong.  The  barbarians  of  the  island  of  Malta,  who, 
when  they  saw  the  viper  fastened  on  Paul's  hand,  thought 
he  must  needs  be  a  murderer,  changed  their  minds  when  he 
shook  off  the  reptile  unharmed,  and  exclaimed,  "He  is  a 
god."  Hence  we  should  learn  this  maxim  of  prudence,  not 
to  be  too  hasty  in  criticising  if  we  want  to  have  credit  for 
insight  and  consistency.  But  we  should  discipline  ourselves 
to  slowness  in  judging  from  far  higher  considerations.  We 
ought  to  cherish  a  reverence  for  the  character  and  for  the 
personality  of  all  intelligent  responsible  beings,  and  to  be 
under  a  constant  fear  of  making  mistakes,  and  calling  good 
evil,  and  evil  good.  In  the  words  of  an  ancient  philosopher, 
"  We  ought  always  to  be  very  careful  when  about  to  blame 
or  praise  a  man,  lest  we  speak  not  rightly.  For  this  purpose 
it  is  necessary  to  learn  to  discriminate  between  good  and 
bad  men.  For  God  is  displeased  when  one  blames  a  person 
like  Himself,  or  praises  one  Unlike  Himself.  Do  not  imagine 
that  stones  and  sticks,  and  birds  and  serpents,  are  holy,  and 
that  men  are  not.  For  of  all  things  the  holiest  is  a  good 
man,  and  the  most  detestable  a  bad."  ' 

3.  If  we  cannot  be  Christians  like  Mary,  let  us  at  all  events 
not  be  disciples  like  Judas.  Some  may  think  it  would  not 
be  desirable  that  all  should  be  like  the  woman  of  Bethany  : 
plausibly  alleging  that,  considering  the  infirmity  of  human 
nature,  it  is  necessary  that  the  romantic,  impulsive,  mystic 
school  of  Christians  should  be  kept  in  check  by  another 
school  of  more  prosaic,  conservative,  and  so  to  say,  plebeian 
character ;  while  perhaps  admitting  that  a  few  Christians 
like  Mary  in  the  church  help  to  preserve  religion  from 
degenerating  into  coarseness,  vulgarity,  and  formalism.     Be 

^  Y\2Xo,  Minos. 


o 


1 6  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 


this  as  it  may,  the  church  has  certainly  no  need  for  Judases. 
Judas  and  Mary  !  these  two  represent  the  two  extremes 
of  human  character.  The  one  exemplifies  Plato's  TrdvTOiv 
jxiapdiTaTov  (hatefullest  of  all  things),  the  other  his  wdvTwv 
UpMTaTo.-  (holiest  of  all  things).  Characters  so  diverse  compel 
us  to  believe  in  a  heaven  and  a  hell.  Each  one  goeth  to  his 
and  her  own  place  :  Mary  to  the  "land  of  the  leal  ;  "  Judas 
to  the  land  of  the  false,  who  sell  their  conscience  and  their 
God  for  gold. 

4.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  how  naturally  and  appropriately 
Jesus,  in  His  magnanimous  defence  of  Mary's  generous, 
large-hearted  deed,  rises  to  the  full  height  of  prophetic 
prescience,  and  anticipates  for  His  gospel  a  world-wide  dif- 
fusion :  "  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall  be  preached  iu  tJie 
whole  ivorld."  Such  a  gospel  could  be  nothing  less  than 
world-wide  in  sympathy,  and  no  one  who  understood  it  and 
its  Author  could  fail  to  have  a  burning  desire  to  go  into  all 
the  world  and  preach  it  unto  every  creature.  This  universal- 
istic  touch  in  Christ's  utterance  at  this  time,  far  from  taking 
us  by  surprise,  rather  seems  a  matter  of  course.  Even 
critics  of  the  naturalistic  school  allow  its  genuineness. 
"This  word  in  Bethany,"  says  one  of  the  ablest  writers  on 
the  Gospel  history  belonging  to  this  school,  "  is  the  solitary 
quite  reliable  word  of  the  last  period  of  Christ's  life  concern- 
ing the  world-wide  career  which  Jesus  saw  opening  up  for 
Himself  and  His  cause."'  If  therefore  the  twelve  remained 
narrow  Judaists  to  the  end,  it  was  not  due  to  the  absence 
of  the  universalistic  element  in  their  Master's  teaching,  but 
simply  to  this,  that  they  remained  permanently  as  incapable 
of  appreciating  Mary's  act,  and  the  gospel  whereof  it  was  an 
emblem,  as  they  showed  themselves  at  this  time.  That  they 
did  so  continue,  however,  we  do  not  believe;  and  the  best 
evidence  of  this  is  that  the  story  of  Mary  of  Bethany  has 
attained  a  place  in  the  evangelic  records. 

'  Keim,  Geschichte  Jesu,  iii.  224. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

FIRSTFRUITS    OF   THE   GENTILES. 
John  xii.  20-33. 

This  narrative  presents  interesting  points  of  affinity  with 
that  contained  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  John's  Gospel,  —  the 
story  of  the  woman  by  the  well.  In  both  Jesus  comes  into 
contact  with  persons  outside  the  pale  of  the  Jewish  church  ; 
in  both  He  takes  occasion  from  such  contact  to  speak  in 
glowing  language  of  an  hour  that  is  coming,  yea,  now  is, 
which  shall  usher  in  a  glorious  new  era  for  the  kingdom  of 
God  ;  in  both  He  expresses,  in  the  most  intense,  emphatic 
terms.  His  devotion  to  His  Father's  will.  His  faith  in  the 
future  spread  of  the  gospel,  and  His  lively  hope  of  a  personal 
reward  in  glory  ; '  in  both,  to  note  yet  one  other  point  of 
resemblance,  He  employs,  for  the  expression  of  His  thought, 
agricultural  metaphors :  in  one  case,  the  earlier,  borrowing 
His  figure  from  the  process  of  reaping ;  in  the  other,  the  later, 
from  that  of  sowing. 

But,  besides  resemblances,  marked  differences  are  observ- 
able in  these  two  passages  from  the  life  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
Of  these  the  most  outstanding  is  this,  that  while  on  the 
earlier  occasion  there  was  nothing  but  enthusiasm,  joy,  and 
hope  in  the  Saviour's  breast,  on  the  present  occasion  these 
feelings  are  blended  with  deep  sadness.  His  soul  is  not  only 
elated  with  the  prospect  of  coming  glory,  but  troubled  as 
with  the  prospect  of  impending  disaster.  The  reason  is  that 
His  death  is  nigh  :  it  is  within  three  days  of  the  time  when 
He  must  be  lifted  up  on  the  cross  ;  and  sentient  nature 
shrinks  from  the  bitter  cup  of  suffering. 

'  John  iv.  34-36.  Ver.  34  expresses  Christ's  devotion ;  ver.  35  His  faith,  making 
visible  and  present  things  not  seen  and  future ;  ver.  36  His  hope  of  a  great  reward  in 
common  with  all  sowers  and  reapers. 


3i8  The  Traming  of  the  Twelve. 

But  while  we  observe  the  presence  of  a  new  emotion  here, 
we  also  see  that  its  presence  produces  no  abatement  in  the 
old  emotions  manifested  by  Jesus  in  connection  with  His 
interview  with  the  woman  of  Samaria.  On  the  contrary, 
the  near  prospect  of  death  only  furnishes  the  Saviour  with  the 
means  of  giving  enhanced  intensity  to  the  expression  of 
His  devotion  and  His  faith  and  hope.  Formerly  He  said  that 
the  doing  of  His  Father's  will  was  more  to  Him  than  vieat ; 
now  He  says  in  effect  that  it  is  more  to  Him  than  ///r."  At 
the  beginning  He  had  seen  by  the  eye  of  faith  a  vast  extent 
of  fields,  white  already  to  the  harvest,  in  the  wide  wilderness 
of  Gentile  lands  ;  now  He  not  only  continues  to  see  these  fields 
in  spite  of  His  approaching  passion,  but  He  sees  them  as  the 
ejfcct  thereof  —  a  whole  world  of  golden  grain  growing  out 
of  one  corn  of  wheat  cast  into  the  ground,  and  rendered 
fruitful  of  life  by  its  own  death. ^  At  the  well  of  Sychar  He 
had  spoken  with  lively  hope  of  the  wages  in  store  for  Him- 
self, and  all  fellow-laborers  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  whether 
sowers  or  reapers  ;  here  death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory, 
through  the  power  of  His  hope.  To  suffer  is  to  enter  into 
glory ;  to  be  lifted  up  on  the  cross  is  to  be  exalted  to  heaven, 
and  seated  on  the  throne  of  a  world-wide  dominion.^ 

The  men  who  desired  to  see  Jesus  while  He  stood  in  one 
of  the  courts  of  the  temple  were,  the  evangelist  informs  us, 
Greeks.  Whence  they  came,  whether  from  east  or  from 
west,  or  from  north  or  from  south,  we  know  not  ;  but  they 
were  evidently  bent  on  entering  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
They  had  got  so  far  on  the  way  to  the  kingdom  already. 
The  presumption,  at  least,  is  that  they  had  left  Paganism 
behind,  and  had  embraced  the  faith  of  One  living,  true  God, 
as  taught  by  the  Jews,  and  were  come  at  this  time  up  to 
Jerusalem  to  worship  at  the  Passover  as  Jewish  proselytes.'* 
But  they  had  not,  it  would  seem,  found  rest  to  their  souls  : 
there  was  something  more  to  be  known  about  God  which  was 
still  hid  from  them.  This  they  hoped  to  learn  from  Jesus, 
with   whose    name    and  fame    they   had    somehow    become 

'  John  xii.  28.  ^  Ver.  24.  ^  Vers.  23,  32. 

*  This  is  the  natural  inference  even  from  the  A.  V., "  there  were  certain  Greeks  among 
them  tliat  came  up  to  worship,"  retained  in  R.  V.  The  true  rendering  is,  "there  were 
certain  Greeks  of  the  number  of  those  "  (Greeks),  etc.  {ix.  tmv  avaPaivovToiv,  not  if  noU). 
So  Dr.  Field  of  Norwich  in  Otium  Norvicense,  Part  ill. 


Firstfruits  of  the   Gentiles.  319 

acquainted.  Accordingly,  an  opportunity  presenting  itself  to 
them  of  communicating  with  one  of  those  who  belonged 
to  His  company,  they  respectfully  expressed  to  him  their 
desire  to  meet  his  Master.  "  Sir,"  said  they,  "we  would  see 
Jesus."  In  themselves  the  words  might  be  nothing  more 
than  the  expression  of  a  curious  wish  to  get  a  passing 
glimpse  of  one  who  was  understood  to  be  a  remarkable  man. 
Such  an  interpretation  of  the  request,  however,  is  excluded 
by  the  deep  emotion  it  awakened  in  the  breast  of  Jesus. 
Idle  curiosity  would  not  have  stirred  His  soul  in  such  a 
fashion  Then  the  notion  that  these  Greeks  were  merely 
curious  strangers  is  entirely  inconsistent  with  the  connection 
in  which  the  story  is  introduced.  John  brings  in  the  present 
narrative  immediately  after  quoting  a  reflection  made  by  the 
Pharisees  respecting  the  popularity  accruing  to  Jesus  from 
the  resurrection  of  Lazarus.  "  Perceive  ye,"  said  they  to 
each  other,  "how  ye  prevail  nothing.''  Behold,  the  world  has 
gone  after  Him."  "  Yes,  indeed,"  rejoins  the  evangelist  in 
effect,  "and  that  to  an  extent  of  which  ye  do  not  dream. 
He  whom  ye  hate  is  beginning  to  be  inquired  after,  even  by 
Gentiles  from  afar,  as  the  following  history  will  show." 

We  do  right,  then,  to  regard  the  Greek  strangers  as  earnest 
inquirers.  They  were  true  seekers  after  God.  They  were 
genuine  spiritual  descendants  of  their  illustrious  countrymen 
Socrates  and  Plato,  whose  utterances,  written  or  unwritten, 
were  one  long  prayer  for  light  and  truth,  one  deep  uncon- 
scious sigh  for  a  sight  of  Jesus.  They  wanted  to  see  the 
Saviour,  not  with  the  eye  of  the  body  merely,  but,  above  all, 
with  the  eye  of  the  spirit. 

The  part  played  by  the  two  disciples  named  in  the  narra- 
tive, in  connection  with  this  memorable  incident,  claims  a 
brief  notice.  Philip  and  Andrew  had  the  honor  to  be  the 
medium  of  communication  between  the  representatives  of  the 
Gentile  world  and  Him  who  had  come  to  fulfil  the  desire  and 
be  the  Saviour  of  all  nations.  The  devout  Greeks  addressed 
themselves  to  the  former  of  these  two  disciples,  and  he  in  turn 
took  his  brother-disciple  into  his  counsels.  How  Philip  came 
to  be  selected  as  the  bearer  of  their  request  by  these  Gentile 
inquirers,  we  do  not  know.  Reference  has  been  made  to  the 
fact  that  the  name  Philip  is  Greek,  as  implying  the  probability 


320  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

that  the  disciple  who  bore  it  had  Greek  connections,  and  the 
possibility  of  a  previous  acquaintance  between  him  and 
the  persons  who  accosted  him  on  this  occasion.  There  may 
be  something  in  these  conjectures,  but  it  is  more  important 
to  remark  that  the  Greeks  were  happy  in  their  choice  of 
an  intercessor.  Philip  was  himself  an  inquirer,  and  had  an 
inquirer's  sympathy  with  all  who  might  be  in  a  similar  state 
of  mind.  The  first  time  he  is  named  in  the  Gospel  history 
he  is  introduced  expressing  his  faith  in  Jesus,  as  one  who  had 
carefully  sought  the  truth,  and  who,  having  at  length  found 
what  he  sought,  strove  to  make  others  partakers  of  the 
blessing.  "  Philip  findeth  Nathanael,  and  saith  unto  him, 
We  have  found  Him  of  whom  Moses,  in  the  law  and  the 
prophets,  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph." 
The  exactness  and  fulness  of  this  confession  speaks  to  careful 
and  conscientious  search.  And  Philip  has  still  the  inquirer's 
temper.  A  day  or  two  subsequent  to  this  meeting  with  the 
Greeks,  we  find  him  making  for  himself  the  most  important 
request :  "  Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us." 

But  why,  then,  does  this  sympathetic  disciple  not  convey 
the  request  of  the  Greeks  direct  to  Jesus .''  Why  take 
Andrew  with  him,  as  if  afraid  to  go  alone  on  such  an  errand? 
Just  because  the  petitioners  are  Greeks  and  Gentiles.  It  is 
one  thing  to  introduce  a  devout  Jew  like  Nathanael  to  Jesus, 
quite  another  to  introduce  Gentiles,  however  devout.  Philip 
is  pleased  that  his  Master  should  be  inquired  after  in  such 
a  quarter,  but  he  is  not  sure  about  the  propriety  of  acting 
on  his  first  impulse.  He  hesitates,  and  is  in  a  flurry  of 
excitement  in  presence  of  what  he  feels  to  be  a  new  thing,  a 
significant  event,  the  beginning  of  a  religious  revolution,' 
His  inclination  is  to  play  the  part  of  an  intercessor  for  the 
Greeks;  but  he  distrusts  his  own  judgment,  and,  before 
acting  on  it,  lays  the  case  before  his  brother-disciple  and 
fellow-townsman  Andrew,  to  see  how  it  will  strike  him.  The 
result  of  the  consultation  was,  that  the  two  disciples  came 
and  told  their  Master.     They  felt  that  they  were  perfectly 

'  Luthardt  (^Das  Joh.  Evan.  i.  102)  thinks  this  hesitancy  specially  characteristic  of 
Philip,  and  contrasts  with  it  the  promptitude  of  Andrew,  as  exliibited  here,  and  also  in 
John  vi.  9.  This  is  possible.  Thoughtful,  inquiring  men  are  often  unready  in  practical 
masters. 


First  fruits  of  the   Gentiles.  321 

safe  in  mentioning  the  matter  to  Him,  and  then  leaving  Him 
to  do  as  He  pleased. 

From  the  narrative  of  the  evangelist  we  learn  that  the 
communication  of  the  two  disciples  mightily  stirred  the  soul 
of  Jesus.  Manifestations  of  spiritual  susceptibility,  by 
persons  who  were  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, 
did  always  greatly  move  His  feelings.  The  open-mindedness 
of  the  people  of  Sychar,  the  simple  faith  of  the  Roman 
centurion,  the  quick-witted  faith  of  the  Syro-Phoenician 
woman,  the  gratitude  of  the  Samaritan  leper,  touched  Him 
profoundly.  Such  exhibitions  of  spiritual  life  in  unexpected 
quarters  came  upon  His  spirit  like  breezes  on  an  yEolian 
harp,  drawing  forth  from  it  sweetest  tones  of  faith,  hope,  joy, 
charity  ;  and,  alas  !  also  sometimes  sad,  plaintive  tones  of 
disappointment  and  sorrow,  like  the  sighing  of  the  autumn 
wind  among  Scottish  pines,  when  He  thought  of  the  unbelief 
and  spiritual  deadness  of  the  chosen  people  for  whom  He  had 
done  so  much.'  Never  was  His  heart  more  deeply  affected 
than  on  the  present  occasion.  No  marvel  !  What  sight 
more  moving  than  that  of  a  human  being  seeking  after  God, 
the  fountain  of  light  and  of  life  !  Then  the  spontaneity 
of  these  Greek  inquirers  is  beautiful.  It  is  something  to  be 
thankful  for  in  this  unspiritual,  unbelieving  world,  when  one 
and  another,  here  and  there,  responds  to  God's  call,  and 
receives  a  divine  word  which  has  been  spoken  to  him.  But 
here  we  have  the  rare  spectacle  of  men  coming  uncalled  : 
not  sought  after  by  Christ,  and  accepting  Him  offering 
Himself  to  them  as  a  Saviour  and  Lord,  but  seeking  Him, 
and  begging  it  as  a  great  favor  to  be  admitted  to  His 
presence,  that  they  may  offer  Him  their  sincere  homage,  and 
hear  Him  speak  words  of  eternal  life.  They  come,  too,  from 
a  most  unusual  quarter ;  and,  what  is  still  more  worthy  to 
be  noticed,  at  a  most  critical  time.  Jesus  is  just  about  to  be 
conclusively  rejected  by  His  own  people ;  just  on  the  point 
of  being  crucified  by  them.  Some  have  shut  their  eyes,  and 
stopped  their  ears,  and  hardened  their  hearts  in  the  most 
determined  manner  against  Him  and  His  teaching ;  others, 

'  John  xii.  37-43.  See  next  chapter  of  this  work,  the  perusal  of  which  may  help  the 
reader  to  understand  the  emotion  awakened  in  Clirist's  breast  by  the  request  of  these 
Greek  strangers. 


322  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

not  insensible  to  His  merits,  have  meanly  and  heartlessly 
concealed  their  convictions,  fearing  the  consequences  of  an 
open  profession.  The  saying  of  the  Prophet  Esaias  has 
been  fulfilled  in  His  bitter  experience,  "  Who  hath  believed 
our  report  ?  and  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been 
revealed  ?  "  Pharisaism,  Sadduceeism,  ignorance,  indifference, 
fickleness,  cowardice,  have  confronted  Him  on  every  side. 
How  refreshing,  amidst  abounding  contradiction,  stupidity, 
and  dull  insusceptibility,  this  intimation  brought  to  Him  at 
the  eleventh  hour :  "  Here  are  certain  Greeks  who  are 
interested  in  you,  and  want  to  see  you  !  "  The  words  fall 
on  His  ear  like  a  strain  of  sweet  music  ;  the  news  is  reviving 
to  His  burdened  spirit  like  the  sight  of  a  spring  to  a  weary 
traveller  in  a  sandy  desert  ;  and  in  the  fulness  of  His  joy  He 
exclaims  :  "  The  hour  is  come  that  the  Son  of  man  should 
be  glorified."  Rejected  by  His  own  people.  He  is  consoled 
by  the  inspiring  assurance  that  He  shall  be  believed  on  in 
the  world,  and  accepted  by  the  outlying  nations  as  all  their 
salvation  and  all  their  desire. 

The  thoughts  of  Jesus  at  this  time  were  as  deep  as  His 
emotions  were  intense.  Specially  remarkable  is  the  first 
thought  to  which  He  gave  utterance  in  these  words  :  "Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the 
ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone  ;  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth 
forth  much  fruit."  He  speaks  here  with  the  solemnity  of 
one  conscious  that  he  is  announcing  a  truth  new  and  strange 
to  his  hearers.  His  object  is  to  make  it  credible  and 
comprehensible  to  His  disciples,  that  death  and  increase 
may  go  together.  He  points  out  to  them  that  the  fact  is  so 
in  the  case  of  grain  ;  and  He  would  have  them  understand 
that  the  law  of  increase,  not  only  in  spite  but  in  virtue  of 
death,  will  hold  true  equally  in  His  own  case.  "  A  grain 
of  wheat,  by  dying,  becometh  fruitful ;  so  I  must  die  in 
order  to  become,  on  a  large  scale,  an  object  of  faith  and 
source  of  life.  During  my  lifetime  I  have  had  little 
success.  Few  have  believed,  many  have  disbelieved  ;  and 
they  are  about  to  crown  their  unbelief  by  putting  me  to 
death.  But  my  death,  so  far  from  being,  as  they  fancy, 
my  defeat  and  destruction,  will  be  but  the  beginning  of  my 
glorification.     After   I    have   been  crucified,  I    shall    begin 


First  fruits  of  the   Gentiles.  323 

to  be  believed  in  extensively  as  the  Lord  and  Saviour  of 
men." 

Having  by  the  analogy  of  the  corn  of  wheat  set  forth 
death  as  the  condition  of  fruitfulness,  Jesus,  in  a  word 
subsequently  spoken,  proclaimed  His  approaching  crucifixion 
as  the  secret  of  His  future  power.  "  I,"  said  He,  "  if  I  be 
lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  drazv  all  men  unto  me."  He 
used  the  expression  "lifted  up"  in  a  double  sense,  —  partly, 
as  the  evangelist  informs  us,  in  allusion  to  the  manner  of 
His  death,  partly  with  reference  to  His  ascension  into 
heaven  ;  and  He  meant  to  say,  that  after  He  had  been  taken 
up  into  glory,  He  would,  through  His  cross,  attract  the  eyes 
and  hearts  of  men  towards  Himself.  And,  strange  as  such  a 
statement  might  appear  before  the  event,  the  fact  corre- 
sponded to  the  Saviour's  expectation.  The  cross  —  symbol 
of  shame  !  —  did  become  a  source  of  glory  ;  the  sign  of 
weakness  became  an  instrument  of  moral  power.  Christ 
crucified,  though  to  unbelieving  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and 
to  philosophic  Greeks  foolishness,  became  to  many  believers 
the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God.  By  His  voluntary 
humiliation  and  meek  endurance  of  suffering  the  Son  of  God 
drew  men  to  Him  in  sincerest  faith,  and  devoted  reverential 
love. 

The  largeness  of  Christ's  desires  and  expectations  is  very 
noteworthy.  He  speaks  of  "much  fruit,"  and  of  drawing 
"all  men  "  unto  Him.  Of  course  we  are  not  to  look  here  for 
an  exact  definition  of  the  extent  of  redemption.  Jesus  speaks 
as  a  man  giving  utterance,  in  the  fulness  of  his  heart,  to  his 
high,  holy  hope  ;  and  we  may  learn  from  His  ardent  words, 
if  not  the  theological  extent  of  atonement,  at  least  the  cxteu- 
sivcness  of  the  Atoner's  good  wishes.  He  would  have  all 
men  believe  in  Him  and  be  saved.  He  complained  with 
deep  melancholy  of  the  fewness  of  believers  among  the  Jews  ; 
He  turned  with  unspeakable  longing  to  the  Gentiles,  in  hope 
of  a  better  reception  from  them.  The  greater  the  number 
of  believers  at  any  time  and  in  any  place,  the  better  He  is 
pleased ;  and  He  certainly  does  not  contemplate  with  indif- 
ference the  vast  amount  of  unbelief  which  still  prevails  in  all 
quarters  of  the  world.  His  heart  is  set  on  the  complete 
expulsion   of   the   prince   of    this    world   from    his    usurped 


324  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

dominion,  that  He  Himself  may  reign  over  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth. 

The  narrative  contains  a  word  of  application  addressed  by 
Jesus  to  His  disciples  in  connection  with  the  law  of  increase 
by  death,  saying  in  effect  that  it  applied  to  them  as  well  as 
to  Himself.'  This  appears  at  first  surprising,  insomuch  that 
we  are  tempted  to  think  that  the  sayings  alluded  to  are 
brought  in  here  by  the  evangelist  out  of  their  true  historical 
connection.  But  on  reconsideration  we  come  to  think  other- 
wise. We  observe  that  in  all  cases,  wherever  it  is  possible, 
Christ  in  His  teaching  takes  His  disciples  into  partnership 
with  Himself.  He  does  not  insist  on  those  aspects  of  truth 
which  are  peculiar  to  Himself,  but  rather  on  those  which  are 
common  to  Him  with  His  followers.  If  there  be  any  point 
of  contact  at  all,  any  sense  in  which  what  He  states  of  Him- 
self is  true  of  those  who  believe  in  Him,  He  seizes  on  that, 
and  makes  it  a  prominent  topic  of  discourse.  So  He  did  on 
the  occasion  of  the  meeting  by  the  well ;  so  when  He  first 
plainly  announced  to  His  disciples  that  He  was  to  be  put  to 
death.  And  so  also  He  does  here.  Here,  too.  He  asserts  a 
fellowship  between  Himself  and  His  followers  in  respect  to 
the  necessity  of  death  as  a  condition  of  fruitfulness.  And  the 
fellowship  asserted  is  not  a  far-fetched  conceit :  it  is  a  great 
practical  reality.  The  principle  laid  down  is  this,  that  in 
proportion  as  a  man  is  a  partaker  of  Christ's  suffering  in  His 
estate  of  humiliation  shall  he  be  a  partaker  of  the  glory,  honor, 
and  power  which  belong  to  His  estate  of  exaltation.  This 
principle  holds  true  even  in  this  life.  The  bearing  of  the 
cross,  the  undergoing  of  death,  is  the  condition  of  fruit- 
bearing  both  in  the  sense  of  personal  sanctification  and  in 
the  sense  of  effective  service  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  In  the 
long-run  the  measure  of  a  man's  power  is  the  extent  to  which 
he  is  baptized  into  Christ's  death.  We  must  fill  up  that 
which  is  behind  of  the  afflictions  of  Christ  in  our  flesh 
for  His  body's  sake,  which  is  the  church,  if  we  would  be 
the  honored  instruments  of  advancing  that  great  work  in  the 
world  for  which  He  was  willing,  like  a  corn  of  wheat,  to  fall 
into  the  ground  and  die. 

Striking  as  this  saying  is,  it  is  not  to  be  reckoned  among 

*  John  xii.  25,  26. 


Firstfruits  of  the   Gentiles.  325 

those  which  contain  a  distinct  contribution  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  cross.  No  new  principle  or  view  is  contained  therein, 
only  old  views  restated,  the  views  taught  in  the  first  and 
second  lessons  being  combined  —  death  a  condition  of  life"- 
and  of  pozuer^  Even  the  very  original  word  concerning  the 
corn  of  wheat  shows  us  no  new  aspect  of  Christ's  death,  but 
only  helps  by  a  familiar  analogy  to  understand  how  death 
can  be  a  means  of  increase.  The  main  use  of  the  foregoing 
chapter  is  to  show  us  the  beginnings  of  that  Christian  univer- 
salism  which  Jesus  anticipated  in  speaking  of  Mary's  act  of 
anointing,  and  to  serve  as  a  foil  to  the  chapter  that  follows 
concerning  the  doom  of  Jerusalem. 

'  Matt.  xvi.  25  ;  cf.  John  xii.  25.  *  Matt.  xx.  28 ;  cf.  John  xii.  24, 


CHAPTER   XX. 

O  JERUSALEM,  JERUSALEM!  OR,  DISCOURSE  ON  THE  LAST  THINGS. 
Matt,  xxi.-xxv. ;  Mark  xi.-xiii. ;  Luke  xix.  29-48,  xx.,  xxi. 

The  few  days  intervening  between  the  anointing  and  the 
Passover  were  spent  by  Jesus  in  daily  visits  to  Jerusalem 
in  company  with  His  disciples,  returning  to  Bethany  in  the 
evening.  During  that  time  He  spoke  much  in  public  and  in 
private,  on  themes  congenial  to  His  feelings  and  situation  : 
the  sin  of  the  Jewish  nation,  and  specially  of  its  religious 
leaders ;  the  doom  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  end  of  the  world. 
The  record  of  His  sayings  during  these  last  days  fills  five 
chapters  of  Matthew's  Gospel  —  a  proof  of  the  deep  impres- 
sions which  they  made  on  the  mind  of  the  twelve. 

Prominent  among  these  utterances,  which  together  form 
the  dying  testimony  of  the  "Prophet  of  Nazareth,"  stands 
the  great  philippic  delivered  by  Him  against  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  of  Jerusalem.  This  terrible  discourse  had  been 
preceded  by  various  encounters  between  the  speaker  and 
His  inverate  foes,  which  were  as  the  preliminary  skirmishes 
that  form  the  prelude  to  a  great  engagement.  In  these 
petty  fights  Jesus  had  been  uniformly  victorious,  and  had 
overwhelmed  His  opponents  with  confusion.  They  had 
asked  Him  concerning  His  authority  for  taking  upon  Him 
the  office  of  a  reformer,  in  clearing  the  temple  precincts  of 
traders ;  and  he  had  silenced  them  by  asking  in  reply  their 
opinion  of  John's  mission,  and  by  speaking  in  their  hearing 
the  parables  of  the  Two  Sons,  the  Vinedressers,  and  the 
Rejected  Stonc,^  wherein  their  hypocrisy,  unrighteousness, 
and  ultimate  damnation  were  vividly  depicted.  They  had 
tried  to  catch  Him  in  a  trap  by  an  insnaring  question 
concerning  the  tribute  paid  to  the  Roman  government ;  and 

»  Matt.  xxi.  33-46. 
325 


O  yerusalem,  Jerusalem  !  327 

he  had  extricated  Himself  with  ease,  by  simply  asking  for  a 
penny,  and  pointing  to  the  emperor's  head  on  it,  demanding 
of  His  assailants,  "  Whose  is  this  image  and  superscription  ?  " 
and  on  receiving  the  reply,  "Caesar's,"  giving  His  judgment 
in  these  terms  :  "  Render  therefore  unto  Caesar  the  things 
which  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are 
God's."  '  Twice  foiled,  the  Pharisees  (with  their  friends 
the  Herodians)  gave  place  to  their  usual  foes,  but  present 
allies,  the  Sadducees,  who  attempted  to  puzzle  Jesus  on 
the  subject  of  the  resurrection,  only  to  be  ignominiously 
discomfited  ;  ^  whereupon  the  pharisaic  brigade  returned  to 
the  charge,  and  through  the  mouth  of  a  lawyer  not  yet 
wholly  perverted  inquired,  "  Which  is  the  great  command- 
ment in  the  law  ?  "  To  this  question  Jesus  gave  a  direct  and 
serious  reply,  summing  up  the  whole  law  in  love  to  God 
and  love  to  man,  to  the  entire  contentment  of  His  interrogator. 
Then,  impatient  of  further  trifling.  He  blew  a  trumpet-peal, 
the  signal  of  a  grand  offensive  attack,  by  propounding  the 
question,  "What  think  ye  of  Christ,  whose  son  is  He?" 
and  taking  occasion  from  the  reply  to  quote  the  opening 
verse  of  David's  martial  psalm,  asking  them  to  reconcile  it 
with  their  answer.^  In  appearance  fighting  the  Pharisees 
with  their  own  weapons,  and  framing  a  mere  theological 
puzzle.  He  was  in  reality  reminding  them  who  He  was,  and 
intimating  to  them  the  predicted  doom  of  those  who  set 
themselves  against  the  Lord's  anointed. 

Thereupon  David's  Son  and  David's  Lord  proceeded  to 
fulfil  the  prophetic  figure,  and  to  make  a  footstool  of  the 
men  who  sat  in  Moses'  seat,  by  delivering  that  discourse  in 
which,  to  change  the  figure,  the  Pharisee  is  placed  in  a 
moral  pillory,  a  mockery  and  a  byword  to  all  after  ages  ; 
and  a  sentence  is  pronounced  on  the  pharisaic  character 
inexorably  severe,  yet  justified  by  fact,  and  approved  by 
the  conscience  of  all  true  Christians.'*  This  anti-pharisaic 
speech  may  be  regarded  as  the  final,  decisive,  comprehensive, 
dying  testimony  of  Jesus  against  the  most  deadly  and 
damning  form  of  evil  prevailing  in  His  age,  or  that  can 
prevail  in    any  age  —  religious   hypocrisy ;   and   as    such    it 

•  Matt.  xxii.  15-22.  3  Matt.  xxii.  41-45. 

*  Matt.  xxii.  23-33.  *  Matt,  xxiii. 


328  The  Trahiing  of  the  Twelve. 

forms  a  necessary  part  of  the  Righteous  One's  witness- 
bearing  in  behalf  of  the  truth,  to  which  His  disciples  are 
expected  to  say  Amen  with  no  faltering  voice.  For  the 
spirit  of  moral  resentment  is  as  essential  in  Christian  ethics 
as  the  spirit  of  mercy ;  nor  can  any  one  who  regards  the 
anti-pharisaic  polemic  of  the  Gospel  history  as  a  scandal  to 
be  ashamed  of,  or  a  blemish  to  be  apologized  for,  or  at  least 
as  a  thing  which,  however  necessary  at  the  time,  propriety 
now  requires  us  to  treat  with  neglect,  —  a  practice  too 
common  in  the  religious  world,  —  be  cleared  of  the  suspicion 
of  having  more  sympathy  at  heart  with  the  men  by  whom 
the  Lord  was  crucified  than  with  the  Lord  Himself.  Blessed 
is  he  who  is  not  ashamed  of  Christ's  sternest  words  ;  who, 
far  from  stumbling  at  those  bold  prophetic  utterances,  has 
rather  found  in  them  an  aid  to  faith  at  the  crisis  of  his 
religious  history,  as  evincing  an  identity  between  the  moral 
sentiments  of  the  Founder  of  the  faith  and  his  own,  and 
helping  him  to  see  that  what  he  may  have  mistaken  for, 
and  what  claimed  to  be,  Christianity,  was  not  that  at  all,  but 
only  a  modern  reproduction  of  a  religious  system  which  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  could  not  endure,  or  be  on  civil  terms 
with.  Yea,  and  blessed  is  the  church  which  sympathizes 
with,  and  practically  gives  effect  to,  Christ's  warning  words 
in  the  opening  of  this  discourse  against  clerical  ambition, 
the  source  of  the  spiritual  tyrannies  and  hypocrisies 
denounced.  Every  church  needs  to  be  on  its  guard  against 
this  evil  spirit.  The  government  of  the  Jewish  church, 
theoretically  theocratic,  degenerated  at  last  into  Rabbiiiisvi ; 
and  it  is  quite  possible  for  a  church  which  has  for  its  motto, 
"  One  is  your  Master,  even  Christ,"  to  fall  into  a  state  of 
abject  subjection  to  the  power  of  ambitious  ecclesiastics. 

Without  for  a  moment  admitting  that  there  is  any  thing 
in  these  invectives  against  hypocrisy  to  be  apologized  for,  we 
must  nevertheless  advert  to  the  view  taken  of  them  by  some 
recent  critics  of  the  sceptical  school.  These  speeches,  then, 
we  are  told,  are  the  rash,  unqualified  utterances  of  a  young 
man,  whose  spirit  was  unmellowed  by  years  and  experience 
of  the  world ;  whose  temperament  was  poetic,  therefore 
irritable,  impatient,  and  unpractical ;  and  whose  temper  was 
that  of  a  Jew,  morose,  and  prone  to  bitterness  in  controversy. 


0  Jerusalem,   Jerusalem!  329 

At  this  time,  we  are  further  to  understand,  provoked  by 
persevering  opposition.  He  had  lost  self-possession,  and  had 
abandoned  Himself  to  the  violence  of  anger.  His  bad  humor 
having  reached  such  a  pitch  as  to  make  Him  guilty  of 
actions  seemingly  absurb,  such  as  that  of  cursing  the  fig- 
tree.  He  had,  in  fact,  become  reckless  of  consequences, 
or  even  seemed  to  court  such  as  were  disastrous  ;  and,  weary 
of  conflict,  sought  by  violent  language  to  precipitate  a  crisis, 
and  provoke  His  enemies  to  put  Him  to  death.' 

These  are  blasphemies  against  the  Son  of  man  as  unfounded 
as  they  are  injurious.  The  last  days  of  Jesus  were  certainly 
full  of  intense  excitement,  but  to  a  candid  mind  no  traces  of 
passion  are  discernible  in  His  conduct.  All  His  recorded 
utterances  during  those  days  are  in  a  high  key,  suited  to 
one  whose  soul  was  animated  by  the  most  sublime  feelings. 
Every  sentence  is  eloquent,  every  word  tells ;  but  all 
throughout  is  natural,  and  appropriate  to  the  situation. 
Even  when  the  terrible  attack  on  the  religious  leaders  of 
Israel  begins,  we  listen  awestruck,  but  not  shocked.  We 
feel  that  the  speaker  has  a  right  to  use  such  language,  that 
what  He  says  is  true,  and  that  all  is  said  with  commanding 
authority  and  dignity,  such  as  became  the  Messianic  King. 
When  the  speaker  has  come  to  an  end,  we  breathe  freely, 
sensible  that  a  delicate  though  necessary  task  has  been 
performed  with  not  less  wisdom  than  fidelity.  Deep  and 
undisguised  abhorrence  is  expressed  in  every  sentence,  such 
as  it  would  be  difficult  for  any  ordinary  man,  yea,  even  for 
an  extraordinary  one,  to  cherish  without  some  admixture  of 
that  wrath  which  worketh  not  the  righteousness  of  God. 
But  in  the  antipathies  of  a  Divine  Being  the  weakness  of 
passion  finds  no  place  :  His  abhorrence  may  be  deep,  but 
it  is  also  ever  calm  ;  and  we  challenge  unbelievers  to  point 
out  a  single  feature  in  this  discourse  inconsistent  with  the 
hypothesis    that    the    speaker  is    divine.     Nay,  leaving   out 

'  See  Renan,  Vie  de  J'esns,  chap.  xix.  Keim  also  thinks  there  was  something 
faulty  in  Christ's  temper,  though  admitting  that  His  faults  were  infirmities  springing  out 
of  His  virtues.  Two  defects  he  specifies :  Passionaieness,  as  shown  in  His  invectives 
against  the  Pharisees  ;  and  Hardness,  inhuman  severity,  shown  in  His  bearing  towards 
His  mother  (John  ii.),  towards  John  the  Baptist  (Matt,  xi.),  and  towards  the  Syro- 
Phoenician  woman  (Matt.  xv.  21.),  —  faults  both  of  a  noble  soul  devoted  to  duty,  but 
choleric  in  temperament  as  a  true-born  Jew.     Vide  Geschichte  Jesu,  iii.  649. 


330  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

of  view  Christ's  divinity,  and  criticising  His  words  with  a 
freedom  unfettered  by  reverence,  we  can  see  no  traces  in 
them  of  a  man  carried  headlong  by  a  tempest  of  anger.  We 
find,  after  strictest  search,  no  loose  expressions,  no  passion- 
ate exaggerations,  but  rather  a  style  remarkable  for  artistic 
precision  and  accuracy.  The  pictures  of  the  ostentatious, 
place-hunting,  title-loving  rabbi ;  of  the  hypocrite,  who 
makes  long  prayers  and  devours  widows'  houses ;  of  the 
zealot,  who  puts  himself  to  infinite  trouble  to  make  converts, 
only  to  make  his  converts  worse  rather  than  better  men  ; 
of  the  Jesuitical  scribe,  who  teaches  that  the  gold  of  the 
temple  is  a  more  sacred,  binding  thing  to  swear  by  than 
the  temple  itself ;  of  the  Pharisee,  whose  conscience  is  strict 
or  lax  as  suits  his  convenience  ;  of  the  whited  sepulchres, 
fair  without,  full  within  of  dead  men's  bones  ;  of  the  men 
whose  piety  manifests  itself  in  murdering  living  prophets 
and  garnishing  the  sepulchres  of  dead  ones, — are  moral 
daguerreotypes  which  will  stand  the  minutest  inspection  of 
criticism,  drawn  by  no  irritated,  defeated  man,  feeling  sorely 
and  resenting  keenly  the  malice  of  his  adversaries,  but  by 
one  who  has  gained  so  complete  a  victory,  that  He  can  make 
sport  of  His  foes,  and  at  all  events  runs  no  risk  of  losing  self- 
control. 

The  aim  of  the  discourse,  equally  with  its  style,  is  a 
sufficient  defence  against  the  charge  of  bitter  personality. 
The  direct  object  of  the  speaker  was  not  to  expose  the  blind 
guides  of  Israel,  but  to  save  from  delusion  the  people  whom 
they  were  misguiding  to  their  ruin.  The  audience  consisted 
of  the  disciples  and  the  multitude  who  heard  Him  gladly. 
It  is  most  probable  that  many  of  the  blind  guides  were 
present  ;  and  it  would  make  no  difference  to  Jesus  whether 
they  were  or  not,  for  He  had  not  two  ways  of  speaking 
concerning  men  —  one  before  their  faces,  another  behind 
their  backs.  It  is  told  of  Demosthenes,  the  great  Athenian 
orator,  and  the  determined  opponent  of  Philip  of  Macedon, 
that  he  completely  broke  down  in  that  king's  presence 
on  the  occasion  of  his  first  appearance  before  him  as  an 
ambassador  from  his  native  city.  But  a  greater  than 
Demosthenes  is  here,  whose  sincerity  and  courage  are  as 
marvellous  as  His  wisdom  and  eloquence,  and  who  can  say 


O  Jerusalem,  Jeritsalem  !  331 

all  He  thinks  of  the  religious  heads  of  the  people  in  their 
own  hearing.  Still,  in  the  present  instance,  the  parties 
formally  addressed  were  not  the  heads  of  the  people,  but 
the  people  themselves;  and  it  is  worthy  of  notice  how 
carefully  discriminating  the  speaker  was  in  the  counsel 
which  He  gave  them.  He  told  them  that  what  He  objected 
to  was  not  so  much  the  teaching  of  their  guides,  as  their 
lives  :  they  might  follow  all  their  precepts  with  comparative 
impunity,  but  it  would  be  fatal  to  follow  their  example. 
How  many  reformers  in  similar  circumstances  would  have 
joined  doctrine  and  practice  together  in  one  indiscriminate 
denunciation  !  Such  moderation  is  not  the  attribute  of  a 
man  in  a  rage. 

But  the  best  clew  of  all  to  the  spirit  of  the  speaker  is 
the  manner  in  which  His  discourse  ends  :  "  O  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem ! "  Strange  ending  for  one  filled  with  angry 
passion  !  O  Jesus,  Jesus  !  how  Thou  risest  above  the  petty 
thoughts  and  feelings  of  ordinary  men  !  Who  shall  fathom 
the  depths  of  Thy  heart .''  What  mighty  waves  of  righteous- 
ness, truth,  pity,  and  sorrow  roll  through  Thy  bosom  ! 

Having  uttered  that  piercing  cry  of  grief,  Jesus  left  the 
temple,  never,  so  far  as  we  know,  to  return.  His  last  words 
to  the  people  of  Jerusalem  were:  "Behold,  your  house  is 
left  unto  you  desolate.  For  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see 
me  henceforth,  till  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  He  that  cometh 
in  the  Name  of  the  Lord."  On  the  way  from  the  city  to 
Bethany,  by  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the  rejected  Saviour  again 
alluded  to  its  coming  doom.  The  light-hearted  disciples 
had  drawn  His  attention  to  the  strength  and  beauty  of  the 
temple  buildings,  then  in  full  view.  In  too  sad  and  solemn 
a  mood  for  admiring  mere  architecture.  He  replied  in  the 
spirit  of  a  prophet :  "  See  ye  not  all  these  things  .-•  Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  There  shall  not  be  left  here  one  stone  upon 
another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down."  ' 

Arrived  at  Mount  Olivet,  the  company  sat  down  to  take  a 
leisurely  view  of  the  majestic  pile  of  which  they  had  been 
speaking.  How  different  the  thoughts  and  feelings  suggested 
by  the  same  object  to  the  minds  of  the  spectators  !  The 
twelve  look  with  merely  outward  eye  ;   their  Master  looks 

*  Matt.  xxiv.  I,  2. 


332  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

with  the  inward  eye  of  prophecy.  They  see  nothing  before 
them  but  the  goodly  stones  ;  He  sees  the  profanation  in  the 
interior,  greedy  traders  within  the  sacred  precincts,  religion 
so  vitiated  by  ostentation,  as  to  make  a  poor  widow  casting 
her  two  mites  into  the  treasury,  in  pious  simplicity,  a  rare 
and  pleasing  exception.  The  disciples  think  of  the  present 
only ;  Jesus  looks  forward  to  an  approaching  doom,  fearful 
to  contemplate,  and  doubtless  backward  too,  over  the  long 
and  checkered  history  through  which  the  once  venerable, 
now  polluted,  house  of  God  had  passed.  The  disciples  are 
elated  with  pride  as  they  gaze  on  this  national  structure, 
the  glory  of  their  country,  and  are  happy  as  thoughtless  men 
are  wont  to  be ;  the  heart  of  Jesus  is  heavy  with  the  sadness 
of  wisdom  and  prescience,  and  of  love  that  would  have  saved, 
but  can  now  do  nothing  but  weep,  and  proclaim  the  awful 
words  of  doom. 

Yet,  with  all  their  thoughtlessness,  the  twelve  could  not 
quite  forget  those  dark  forebodings  of  their  Master.  The 
weird  words  haunted  their  minds,  and  made  them  curious  to 
know  more.     Therefore  they  came  to  Jesus,  or  some  of  them 

—  Mark  mentions  Peter,  James,  John,  and  Andrew  '  —  and 
asked  two  questions  :  when  Jerusalem  should  be  destroyed  ; 
and  what  should  be  the  signs  of  His  coming,  and  of  the  end 
of  the  world.     The  two  events  referred  to  in  the  questions 

—  the  end  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  end  of  the  world  —  were 
assumed  by  the  questioners  to  be  contemporaneous.  It  was 
a  natural  and  by  no  means  a  singular  mistake.  Local  and 
partial  judgments  are  wont  to  be  thus  mixed  up  with  the 
universal  one  in  men's  imaginations  ;  and  hence  almost  every 
great  calamity  which  inspires  awe  leads  to  anticipations  of 
the  last  day.  Thus  Luther,  when  his  mind  was  clouded  by 
the  dark  shadow  of  present  tribulation,  would  remark  :  "The 
world  cannot  stand  long,  perhaps  a  hundred  years  at  the  out- 
side. At  the  last  will  be  great  alterations  and  commotions, 
and  already  there  are  great  commotions  among  men.  Never 
had  the  men  of  law  so  much  occupation  as  now.  There  are 
vehement  dissensions  in  our  families,  and  discord  in  the 
church."^  In  apostolic  times  Christians  expected  the  imme- 
diate coming  of  Christ  with  such  confidence  and  ardor,  that 

'  Mark  xiii.  3.  *  Luther's  Table  Talk,  Bohn's  edition,  p.  325. 


O  yemisalem,   Jerusalem!  333 

some  even  neglected  their  secular  business,  just  as  towards  the 
close  of  the  tenth  century  people  allowed  churches  to  fall  into 
disrepair  because  the  end  of  the  world  was  deemed  close  at 
hand. 

In  reality,  the  judgment  of  Jerusalem  and  that  of  the  world 
at  large  were  to  be  separated  by  a  long  interval.  Therefore 
Jesus  treated  the  two  things  as  distinct  in  His  prophetic 
discourse,  and  gave  separate  answers  to  the  two  questions 
which  the  disciples  had  combined  into  one,  that  respecting 
the  end  of  the  world  being  disposed  of  first." 

The  answer  He  gave  to  this  question  was  general  and 
negative.  He  did  not  fi.x  a  time,  but  said  in  effect :  "  The 
end  will  not  be  till  such  and  such  things  have  taken  place," 
specifying  six  antecedents  of  the  end  in  succession,  the  first 
being  the  appearance  of  false  Christs.^  Of  these  He  assured 
His  disciples  there  would  be  many,  deceiving  many ;  and 
most  truly,  for  several  quack  Messiahs  did  appear  even  before 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  availing  themselves  of,  and 
imposing  on,  the  general  desire  for  deliverance,  even  as 
quack  doctors  do  in  reference  to  bodily  ailments,  and  succeed- 
ing in  deceiving  many,  as  unhappily  in  such  times  is  only 
too  easy.  But  among  the  number  of  their  dupes  were  found 
none  of  those  who  had  been  previously  instructed  by  the  true 
Christ  to  regard  the  appearance  of  pseudo-Christs  merely  as 
one  of  the  signs  of  an  evil  time.  The  deceivers  of  others 
were  for  them  a  preservative  against  delusion. 

The  second  antecedent  is,  "wars  and  rumors  of  wars." 
Nation  must  rise  against  nation  :  there  must  be  times  of 
upheaving  and  dissolution ;  declines  and  falls  of  empires, 
and  risings  of  new  kingdoms  on  the  ruins  of  the  old.  This 
second  sign  would  be  accompanied  by  a  third,  in  the  shape  of 
commotions  in  the  physical  world,  emblematic  of  those  in 

'  Matt.  xxiv.  4-14.  The  eschatological  discourse  delivered  on  the  Mount  of  Olives 
is  confessedly  difficult  to  interpret.  Keim  remarks  that  the  perplexities  are  equally 
great  whether  we  deal  with  it  critically  or  uncritically,  believe  or  deny  its  genuineness 
{vide  Gesc/tichte,  iii.  193).  Two  important  questions  arise  in  reference  to  the  discourse  — 
(i)  Are  the  end  of  Jerusalem  and  the  end  of  the  world  really  kept  apart  in  the  discourse 
as  we  have  it  ?  (2)  Granting  that  the  disciples  and  evangelists  confounded  the  two,  is  it 
credible  that  Jesus  also  confounded  them?  Did  He  not  reckon  on  a  long  future  for  His 
gospel  ?  If  He  did,  and  yet  no  recognition  of  the  fact  is  to  be  found  in  the  eschatological 
discourse  as  we  have  it,  then  the  inference  would  be  that  the  discourse  is  in  some  respects 
not  exactly  reported.     The  following  exposition  sufficiently  indicates  our  view. 

=  Matt.  xxiv.  5. 


334  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  political.  Famines,  earthquakes,  pestilences,  etc.,  would 
occur  in  divers  places.' 

Yet  these  things,  however  dreadful,  would  be  but  the 
beginning  of  sorrows ;  nor  would  the  end  come  till  those 
signs  had  repeated  themselves  again  and  again.  No  one 
could  tell  from  the  occurrence  of  such  phenomena  that  the 
end  would  be  now  ;  he  could  only  infer  that  it  was  not yet^ 

Next  in  order  come  persecutions,  with  all  the  moral  and 
social  phenomena  of  persecuting  times. ^  Christians  must 
undergo  a  discipline  of  hatred  among  the  nations  because  of 
the  Name  they  bear,  and  as  the  reputed  authors  of  all  the 
disasters  which  befall  the  people  among  whom  they  live. 
Times  must  come  when,  if  the  Tiber  inundate  Rome,  if  the 
Nile  overflow  not  his  fields,  if  drought,  earthquake,  famine, 
or  plague  visit  the  earth,  the  cry  of  the  populace  will  forth- 
with be,  "  The  Christians  to  the  lions  !  " 

Along  with  persecutions,  as  a  fifth  antecedent  of  the  end, 
would  come  a  sifting  of  the  church. •♦  Many  would  break 
down  or  turn  traitors  ;  there  would  spring  up  manifold 
animosities,  schisms,  and  heresies,  each  named  from  its  own 
false  prophet.  The  prevalence  of  these  evils  in  the  church 
would  give  rise  to  much  spiritual  declension.  "  Because 
iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax  cold."^ 

The  last  thing  that  must  happen  ere  the  end  come  is  the 
evangelization  of  the  world  ;  ^  which  being  achieved,  the  end 
would  at  length  arrive.  From  this  sign  we  ma}'  guess  that 
the  world  will  last  a  long  while  yet  ;  for,  according  to  the 
law  of  historical  probability,  it  will  be  long  ere  the  gospel 
shall  have  been  preached  to  all  men  for  a  witness.  Ardent 
Christians  or  enthusiastic  students  of  prophecy  who  think 
otherwise  must  remember  that  sending  a  few  missionaries  to 
a  heathen  country  does  not  satisfy  the  prescribed  condition. 
The  gospel  has  not  been  preached  to  a  nation  for  a  witness, 
that  is,  so  as  to  form  a  basis  of  moral  judgment,  till  it  has 
been  preached  to  the  whole  people  as  in  Christendom.  This 
has  never  yet  been  done  for  all  the  nations,  and  at  the 
present  rate  of  progress  it  is  not  likely  to  be  accomplished 
for  centuries  to  come. 

'  Vers.  6,  7.  3  Ver.  9.  *  Ver.  12. 

2  Ver.  8.  *  Matt.  xxiv.  10.  *  Ver.  14. 


O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem  I  335 

Having  rapidly  sketched  an  outline  of  the  events  that 
must  precede  the  end  of  the  world,  Jesus  addressed  Himself 
to  the  more  special  question  which  related  to  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem.  He  could  now  speak  on  that  subject  with 
more  freedom,  after  He  had  guarded  against  the  notion  that 
the  destruction  of  the  holy  city  was  a  sign  of  His  own 
immediate  final  coming.  "When,  then,"  He  began, — the 
introductory  formula  signifying,  to  answer  notv  your  first 
question,  —  "ye  shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet  stand  in  the  holy  place,  then 
let  them  which  be  in  Judaea  flee  into  the  mountains  ; "  the 
abomination  of  desolation  being  the  Roman  army  with  its 
eagles  —  abominable  to  the  Jew,  desolating  to  the  land. 
When  the  eagles  appeared,  all  might  flee  for  their  life ; 
resistance  would  be  vain,  obstinacy  and  bravery  utterly 
unavailing.  The  calamity  would  be  so  sudden  that  there 
would  be  no  time  to  save  any  thing.  It  would  be  as  when  a 
house  is  on  fire  ;  people  would  be  glad  to  escape  with  their 
life.'  It  would  be  a  fearful  time  of  tribulation,  unparalleled 
before  or  after.^  Woe  to  poor  nursing  mothers  in  those 
horrible  days,  and  to  such  as  were  with  child  !  What  bar- 
barities and  inhumanities  awaited  them  !  The  calamities 
that  were  coming  would  spare  nobody,  not  even  Christians. 
They  would  find  safety  only  in  flight,  and  they  would  have 
cause  to  be  thankful  that  they  escaped  at  all.  But  their 
flight,  though  unavoidable,  might  be  more  or  less  grievous 
according  to  circumstances  ;  and  they  should  pray  for  what 
might  appear  small  mercies,  even  for  such  alleviations  as 
that  they  might  not  have  to  flee  to  the  mountains  in  winter, 
when  it  is  cold  and  comfortless,  or  on  the  Sabbath,  the  day 
of  rest  and  peace.^ 

After  giving  this  brief  but  graphic  sketch  of  the  awful 
days  approaching,  intolerable  by  mortal  men  were  they  not 
shortened  "for  the  elect's  sake,"  Jesus  repeated  His  warning 
word  against  deception,  as  if  in  fear  that  His  disciples, 
distracted  by  such  calamities,  might  think  "  surely  now  is  the 

'  Matt.  xxiv.  17,  18. 

2  Ver.  21. 

3  Vers.  19,  20.  Keim  (Geschichte,  iii.  199)  thinks  it  improbable  that  Christ  should  so 
speak  of  the  Sabbath,  and  fancies  that  the  language  betrays  a  Judaist  author.  This  is 
very  minute  and  very  German  criticism. 


2,2,6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

end."  He  told  them  that  violence  would  be  followed  by 
apostasy  and  falsehood,  as  great  a  trial  in  one  way  as  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  in  another.  False  teachers  should 
arise,  who  would  be  so  plausible  as  almost  to  deceive  the  very 
elect.  The  devil  would  appear  as  an  angel  of  light  ;  in  the 
desert  as  a  monk,  in  the  shrine  as  an  object  of  superstitious 
worship.  But  whatever  men  might  pretend,  the  Christ 
would  not  be  there;  nor  would  His  appearance  take  place 
then,  nor  at  any  fixed  calculable  time,  but  suddenly,  unex- 
pectedly, like  the  lightning  flash  in  the  heavens.  When 
moral  corruption  had  attained  its  full  development,  then 
would  the  judgment  come.' 

In  the  following  part  of  the  discourse,  the  end  of  the 
world  seems  to  be  brought  into  immediate  proximity  to 
the  destruction  of  the  holy  city.^  If  a  long  stretch  of  ages 
was  to  intervene,  the  perspective  of  the  prophetic  picture 
seems  at  fault.  The  far-distant  mountains  of  the  eternal 
world,  visible  beyond  and  above  the  near  hills  of  time  in  the 
foreground,  want  the  dim-blue  haze,  which  helps  the  eye  to 
realize  how  far  off  they  are.  This  defect  in  Matthew's 
narrative,  which  we  have  been  taking  for  our  text,  is  supplied 
by  Luke,  who  interprets  the  tribulation  ((9At'i//ts)  so  as  to 
include  the  subsequent  long -lasting  dispersion  of  Israel 
among  the  nations.^  The  phrase  he  employs  to  denote  this 
period  is  significant,  as  implying  the  idea  of  lengthened 
duration.  It  is  "the  times  of  the  Gentiles"  {Katpol  iOvwv). 
The  expression  means,  the  time  when  the  Gentiles  should 
have  their  opportunity  of  enjoying  divine  grace,  correspond- 
ing to  the  time  of  gracious  visitation  enjoyed  by  the  Jews 
referred  to  by  Jesus  in  His  lament  over  Jerusalem. '^  There 
is  no  reason  to  suppose  Luke  coined  these  phrases  ;  they  bear 
the  stamp  of  genuineness  upon  them.  But  if  we  assume,  as 
we  are  entitled  to  do,  that  not  Luke  the  Pauline  universalist, 
but  Jesus  Himself,  spoke  of  a  time  of  merciful  visitation  of  the 
Gentiles,  then  it  follows  that  in  His  eschatological  discourse 
He  gave  clear  intimation  of   a   lengthened   period   during 

'  Vers.  23-28. 

2  Matt.  xxiv.  29. 

3  Luke  xxi.  24. 

*  Llilfe  xix.  44,  Tov  Kaipov  rrii  initTKonrii  <tov.  For  the  use  of  the  verb  ciricrKen'TOiu.ai 
in  the  sense  of  to  visit  graciously,  vhh'  Lulie  i.  7S. 


O  yerusaleni,   yerusaleTn  !  337 

which  His  gospel  was  to  be  preached  in  the  world ;  even  as 
He  did  on  other  occasions,  as  in  the  parable  of  the  wicked 
husbandman,  in  which  He  declared  that  the  vineyard  should 
be  taken  from  its  present  occupants,  and  given  to  others 
who  would  bring  forth  fruit.'  For  it  is  incredible  that  Jesus 
should  speak  of  a  time  of  the  Gentiles  analogous  to  the  time 
of  merciful  visitation  enjoyed  by  the  Jews,  and  imagine  that 
the  time  of  the  Gentiles  was  to  last  only  some  thirty  years. 
The  Jewish  kairos  lasted  thousands  of  years  :  it  would  be 
only  mocking  the  poor  Gentiles  to  dignify  the  period  of  a 
single  generation  with  the  name  of  a  season  of  gracious 
visitation. 

The  parable  of  the  fig-tree,  employed  by  Jesus  to  indicate 
the  sure  connection  between  the  signs  foregoing  and  the 
grand  event  that  was  to  follow,  seems  at  first  to  exclude 
the  idea  of  a  protracted  duration,  but  on  second  thoughts  we 
shall  find  it  does  not.  The  point  of  the  parable  lies  in  the 
comparison  of  the  signs  of  the  times  to  the  first  buds  of 
the  fig-tree.  This  comparison  implies  that  the  last  judgment 
is  not  the  thing  which  is  at  the  doors.  The  last  day  is  the 
harvest  season,  but  from  the  first  buds  of  early  summer  to 
the  harvest  there  is  a  long  interval.  The  parable  further  y 
suggests  the  right  way  of  understanding  the  statement  : 
"  This  generation  shall  not  pass  till  all  these  things  be 
fulfilled."  Christ  did  not  mean  that  the  generation  then 
living  was  to  witness  the  end,  but  that  in  that  generation  all 
the  things  which  form  the  incipient  stage  in  the  development 
would  appear.  It  was  the  age  of  beginnings,  of  shoots  and 
blossoms,  not  of  fruit  and  ingathering.  In  that  generation 
fell  the  beginnings  of  Christianity  and  the  new  world  it  was 
to  create,  and  also  the  end  of  the  Jewish  world,  of  which  the 
symbol  was  a  fig-tree  covered  with  leaves,  but  without  any 
blossom  or  fruit,  like  that  Jesus  Himself  had  cursed,  by  way 
of  an  acted  prophecy  of  Israel's  coming  doom.  The  buds  of 
most  things  in  the  church's  history  appeared  in  that  age : 
of  gospel  preaching,  of  antichristian  tendencies,  of  persecu- 
tions, heresies,  schisms,  and  apostasies.  All  these,  however, 
had  to  grow  to  their  legitimate  issues  before  the  end  came. 
How  long  the  development  would  take,  no  man  could  tell, 

'  Matt.  xxi.  41. 


338  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

not  even  the  Son  of  man}  It  was  a  state  secret  of  the 
Almighty,  into  which  no  one  should  wish  to  pry. 

This  statement,  that  the  time  of  the  end  is  known  alone  to 
God,  excludes  the  idea  that  it  can  be  calculated,  or  that  data 
are  given  in  Scripture  for  that  purpose.  If  such  data  be 
given,  then  the  secret  is  virtually  disclosed.  We  therefore 
regard  the  calculations  of  students  of  prophecy  respecting 
the  times  and  seasons  as  random  guesses  unworthy  of  serious 
attention.  The  death-day  of  the  world  needs  to  be  hid  for 
the  purposes  of  providence  as  much  as  the  dying-day  of 
individuals.  And  we  have  no  doubt  that  God  has  kept  His 
secret ;  though  some  fancy  they  can  cast  the  world's  horo- 
scope from  prophetic  numbers,  as  astrologers  were  wont  to 
determine  the  course  of  individual  lives  from  the  positions  of 
the  stars. 

Though  the  prophetic  discourse  of  Jesus  revealed  nothing 
as  to  times,  it  was  not  therefore  valueless.  It  taught 
effectively  two  lessons,  — one  specially  for  the  benefit  of  the 
twelve,  and  the  other  for  all  Christians  and  all  ages.  The 
lesson  for  the  twelve  was,  that  they  might  dismiss  from 
their  minds  all  fond  hopes  of  a  restoration  of  the  kingdom  to 
Israel.  Not  reconstruction,  but  dissolution  and  dispersion, 
was  Israel's  melancholy  doom. 

The  general  lesson  for  all  in  this  discourse  is  :  "  Watch, 
for  ye  know  not  what  hour  your  Lord  doth  come."  The  call 
to  watchfulness  is  based  on  our  ignorance  of  the  time  of  the 
end,  and  on  the  fact  that,  however  long  delayed  the  end  may 
be,  it  will  come  suddenly  at  last,  as  a  thief  in  the  night. 
The  importance  of  watching  and  waiting,  Jesus  illustrated  by 
two  parables,  tJie  Absent  Goodman  and  the  Wise  and  Foolish 
Virgins^  Both  parables  depict  the  diverse  conduct  of  the 
professed  servants  of  God  during  the  period  of  delay.     The 

'  Mark  xiii.  32.  Colani  is  of  opinion  that  Jesus  made  this  profession  of  ignorance 
in  direct  reply  to  the  original  question  of  the  disciples,  When  will  these  things  (the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem)  be?  He  thinks  that  the  actual  facts  connected  with  the 
eschatological  discourse  are  reducible  to  these :  —  The  disciples  asked,  When  will  the 
destruction  of  the  temple  take  place  ?  Jesus  replied,  I  do  not  know,  no  one  knows,  and 
added  some  simple  counsels  concerning  watching.  All  the  rest  of  the  discourse  is  an 
interpolation,  reflecting  the  apocalyptic  creed  of  the  J  udaistic  Christians.  A  very  summary 
method  of  solving  a  difficult  problem.  Vide  Jesus  Christ  et  les  Croyances  messianiques 
dc  Son  Temps,  2ieme.  ed.  pp.  203-209. 

2  Matt.  .^xiv.  45-51,  xxv.  1-13. 


O  yerusaleniy   Jerusalem  !  339 

effect  on  some,  we  are  taught,  is  to  make  them  neghgent, 
they  being  eye-servants  and  fitful  workers,  who  need  over- 
sight and  the  stimulus  of  extraordinary  events.  Others, 
again,  are  steady,  equal,  habitually  faithful,  working  as  well 
when  the  master  is  absent  as  when  they  are  under  his  eye. 
The  treatment  of  both  on  the  master's  return  corresponds 
to  their  respective  behavior,  —  one  class  being  rewarded,  the 
other  punished.  Such  is  the  substance  of  the  parable  of 
the  Absent  Goodman.  Luke  gives  an  important  appendix, 
which  depicts  the  conduct  of  persons  in  authority  in  the 
house  of  the  absent  Lord.'  While  the  common  servants 
are  for  the  most  part  negligent,  the  upper  servants  play  the 
tyrant  over  their  fellows.  This  is  exactly  what  church 
dignitaries  did  in  after  ages  ;  and  the  fact  that  Jesus  con- 
templated such  a  state  of  things,  requiring  from  the  nature 
of  the  case  the  lapse  of  centuries  to  bring  it  about,  is  another 
proof  that  in  this  discourse  His  prophetic  eye  swept  over 
a  vast  tract  of  time.  Another  remark  is  suggested  by  the 
great  reward  promised  to  such  as  should  not  abuse  their 
authority  :  "  He  will  make  him  ruler  over  all  that  he  hath." 
The  greatness  of  the  reward  indicates  an  expectation  that 
fidelity  will  be  rare  among  the  stewards  of  the  house. 
Indeed,  the  Head  of  the  church  seems  to  have  apprehended 
the  prevalence  of  a  negligent  spirit  among  all  His  servants, 
high  and  low ;  for  He  speaks  of  the  lord  of  the  household  as 
so  gratified  with  the  conduct  of  the  faithful,  that  he  girds 
himself  to  serve  them  while  they  sit  at  meat.^  Has  not  the 
apprehension  been  too  well  justified  by  events  .'' 

The  parable  of  the  Ten  Virgins,  familiar  to  all,  and  full 
of  instruction,  teaches  us  this  peculiar  lesson,  that  watching 
does  not  imply  sleepless  anxiety  and  constant  thought  con- 
cerning the  future,  but  quiet,  steady  attention  to  present 
duty.  While  the  bridegroom  tarried,  all  the  virgins,  wise 
and  foolish  alike,  slumbered  and  slept,  the  wise  differing 
from  their  sisters  in  having  all  things  in  readiness  against 
a  sudden  call.  This  is  a  sober  and  reasonable  representa- 
tion of  the  duty  of  waiting  by  one  who  understands  what 
is  possible  ;  for,  in  a  certain  sense,  sleep  of  the  mind  in 
reference  to  eternity  is  as  necessary  as  physical  sleep  is  to 

'  Luke  xiL  41-48.  *  Luke  xii.  37. 


340  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  body.  Constant  thought  about  the  great  reahties  of  the 
future  would  only  result  in  weakness,  distraction,  and  mad- 
ness, or  in  disorder,  idleness,  and  restlessness  ;  as  in  Thessa- 
lonica,  where  the  conduct  of  many  who  watched  in  the 
wrong  sense  made  it  needful  that  Paul  should  give  them 
the  wholesome  counsel  to  be  quiet,  and  work,  and  eat  bread 
earned  by  the  labor  of  their  own  hands/ 

The  great  prophetic  discourse  worthily  ended  with  a 
solemn  representation  of  the  final  judgment  of  the  world, 
when  all  mankind  shall  be  assembled  to  be  judged  either  by 
the  historical  gospel  preached  to  them  for  a  witness,  or  by 
its  great  ethical  principle,  the  law  of  charity  written  on  their 
hearts  ;  and  when  those  who  have  loved  Christ  and  served 
Him  in  person,  or  in  His  representatives,  —  the  poor,  the 
destitute,  the  suffering, — shall  be  welcomed  to  the  realms 
of  the  blessed,  and  those  who  have  acted  contrariwise  shall 
be  sent  away  to  keep  company  with  the  devil  and  his  angels. 

'  2  Thess.  iii.  12. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

THE    MASTER    SERVING  ;    OR,    ANOTHER    LESSON    IN    HUMILITY. 

Section  I, — The  Washing. 

John  xiii.  i-ii. 

Up  to  this  point  the  fourth  evangelist  has  said  very  little 
indeed  of  the  special  relations  of  Jesus  and  the  twelve.  Now, 
however,  he  abundantly  makes  up  for  any  deficiency  on  this 
score.  The  third  part  of  his  Gospel,  which  begins  here,  is, 
with  the  exception  of  two  chapters  relating  the  history  of 
the  passion,  entirely  occupied  with  the  tender,  intimate  inter- 
course of  the  Lord  Jesus  with  "  His  own,"  from  the  evening 
before  His  death  to  the  time  when  He  departed  out  of  the 
world,  leaving  them  behind  !  The  thirteenth  and  four  follow- 
ing chapters  relate  scenes  and  discourses  from  the  last  hours 
spent  by  the  Saviour  with  His  disciples,  previous  to  His 
betrayal  into  the  hands  of  His  enemies.  He  has  uttered 
His  final  word  to  the  outside  world,  and  withdrawn  Himself 
within  the  bosom  of  His  own  family ;  and  we  are  privileged 
here  to  see  Him  among  His  spiritual  children,  and  to  hear 
His  farewell  words  to  than  in  view  of  His  decease.  It 
becomes  us  to  enter  the  supper  chamber  with  deep  reverence. 
"  Put  off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon 
thou  standest  is  holy  ground." 

The  first  thing  we  see,  on  entering,  is  Jesus  washing  His 
disciples'  feet.  Marvellous  spectacle  !  and  the  evangelist  has 
taken  care,  in  narrating  the  incident,  to  enhance  its  impres- 
siveness  by  the  manner  in  which  he  introduces  it.  He  has 
put  the  beautiful  picture  in  the  best  light  for  being  seen 
to  advantage.  The  preface  to  the  story  is  indeed  a  little 
puzzling  to  expositors,  the  sentences  being  involved,  and  the 
sense  somewhat  obscure.     Many  thoughts  and  feelings  crowd 

341 


342  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

into  the  apostle's  mind  as  he  proceeds  to  relate  the  incinora- 
bilia  of  that  eventful  night;  and,  so  to  speak,  they  jostle  one 
another  in  the  struggle  for  utterance.  Yet  it  is  not  very 
difificult  to  disentangle  the  meaning  of  these  opening  sen- 
tences. In  the  first,  John  adverts  to  the  peculiar  tenderness 
with  which  Jesus  regarded  His  disciples  on  the  eve  of  His 
crucifixion,  and  in  prospect  of  His  departure  from  the  earth 
to  heaven.  "Before  the  feast  of  the  Passover,  when  Jesus 
knew  that  His  hour  was  come  that  He  should  depart  out 
of  this  world"  —  how  at  such  an  hour  did  He  feel  towards 
those  who  had  been  His  companions  throughout  the  years  of 
His  public  ministry,  and  whom  He  was  soon  to  leave  behind 
Him.!*  "He  loved  them  unto  the  end."  Not  selfishly 
engrossed  with  His  own  sorrows,  or  with  the  prospect  of  His 
subsequent  joys,  He  found  room  in  His  heart  for  His  followers 
still  ;  nay,  His  love  burned  out  towards  them  with  extraor- 
dinary ardor,  and  His  whole  care  was  by  precept  and  example, 
by  words  of  comfort,  warning,  and  instruction,  to  prepare 
them  for  future  duty  and  trial,  as  the  narrative  here  com- 
mencing would  abundantly  demonstrate. 

The  second  verse  of  the  preface  alludes  parenthetically  to 
a  fact  which  served  as  a  foil  to  the  constancy  of  Jesus  :  "The 
devil  having  already  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot, 
Simon's  son,  to  betray  Him."  John  would  say  :  "Jesus  loved 
His  disciples  to  the  end,  though  they  did  not  all  so  love  Him. 
One  of  them  at  this  very  moment  entertained  the  diabolic 
purpose  of  betraying  his  Lord.  Yet  that  Lord  loved  even 
him,  condescending  to  wash  even  his  feet  ;  so  endeavoring, 
if  possible,  to  overcome  his  evil  with  good." 

The  aim  of  the  evangelist,  in  the  last  sentence  of  his  preface, 
is  to  show  by  contrast  what  a  wondrous  condescension  it  was 
in  the  Saviour  to  wash  the  feet  of  any  of  the  disciples.  Jesus 
knowing  these  things,  —  these  things  being  true  of  Him: 
that  "the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  His  hands"  — 
sovereign  power  over  all  flesh  ;  "  that  He  was  come  from 
God" — a  divine  being  by  nature,  and  entitled  to  divine 
honors  ;  "and  that  He  was  about  to  return  to  God,"  to  enter 
on  the  enjoyment  of  such  honors, — did  as  is  here  recorded. 
He,  the  August  Being  who  had  such  intrinsic  dignity,  such 
a   consciousness,    such   prospects  —  even    "He   riseth  from 


The  Master  Serving.  343 

supper  and  layeth  aside  His  garments,  and  took  a  towel  and 
girded  Himself.  After  that  He  poureth  water  into  a  basin, 
and  began  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with 
the  towel  wherewith  He  was  girded." 

The  time  when  all  this  took  place  was,  it  would  seem, 
about  the  commencement  of  the  evening  meal.  The  words 
of  the  evangelist  rendered  in  the  English  version  "  supper 
being  ended,"  may  be  translated  supper  being  begun,  or 
better,  supper-time  having  arrived  ;  '  and  from  the  sequel  of 
the  narrative,  it  is  evident  that  in  this  sense  they  must  be 
understood  here.  The  supper  was  still  going  on  when  Jesus 
introduced  the  subject  of  the  traitor,  which  He  did  not  only 
after  He  had  washed  the  feet  of  His  disciples,  but  after  He 
had  resumed  His  seat  at  the  table,  and  given  an  explanation 
of  what  He  had  just  done.^ 

That  explanation  will  fall  to  be  more  particularly  consid- 
ered afterwards ;  but  meantime  it  bears  on  its  face  that 
the  occasion  of  the  feet-washing  was  some  misbehavior  on  the 
part  of  the  disciples.  Jesus  had  to  condescend,  we  judge, 
because  His  disciples  would  not  condescend.  This  impres- 
sion is  confirmed  by  a  statement  in  Luke's  Gospel,  that  on 
the  same  evening  a  strife  arose  among  the  twelve  which  of 
them  should  be  accounted  the  greatest.  Whence  that  new 
strife  arose  we  know  not,  but  it  is  possible  that  the  old 
quarrel  about  place  was  revived  by  the  words  uttered  by 
Jesus  as  they  were  about  to  sit  down  to  meat  :  "  With  desire 
I  have  desired  to  eat  this  Passover  with  you  before  I  suffer. 
For  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  any  more  eat  thereof  until  it 
be  fulfilled  in  the  kingdom  of  God."  ^  The  allusion  to  the 
kingdom  was  quite  sufficient  to  set  their  imaginations  on  fire 
and  re-awaken  old  dreams  about  thrones,  and  from  old  dreams 
to  old  feuds  and  jealousies  the  transition  was  natural  and 
easy  ;  and  so  we  can  conceive  how,  even  before   the  supper 

'  Alford,  in  loco,  gives  as  examples  of  a  similar  use  of  yei/ojuei'os,  Matt.  xxvi.  6;  John 
xxi.  4 ;  Maik  vi.  2.  Hofmann  {Schyiftbeweis,  iii.  207,  208)  renders  the  phrase  as  in  the 
Auth.  Ver.,  and  reconciles  this  view  with  the  narrative  concerning  Judas  by  assuming  that 
vers.  26,  27  relate  a  transaction  distinct  from  and  subsequent  to  the  supper.  The  R.  V. 
has  "  during  supper." 

^  John  xiii.  21. 

3  Luke  xxii.  15,  16.  The  R.  V.  reads,  "  I  will  not  eat  it,"  in  place  of,  "I  will  not  any 
more  eat  thereof,"  omitting  ouiceTi  from  their  text,  Westcott  and  Hort  also  omit  this 
word ;  Tischendorf  retains  it. 


344  1^^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

began,  the  talk  of  the  brethren  had  waxed  noisy  and  warm. 
Or  the  point  in  dispute  may  have  been  in  what  order  they 
should  sit  at  table,  or  who  should  be  the  servant  for  the 
occasion,  and  wash  the  feet  of  the  company.  Any  one  of 
these  suppositions  might  account  for  the  fact  recorded  by 
Luke ;  for  it  does  not  require  much  to  make  children 
quarrel. 

The  expedient  employed  by  Jesus  to  divert  the  minds  of 
His  disciples  from  unedifying  themes  of  conversation,  and  to 
exorcise  ambitious  passions  from  their  breasts,  was  a  most 
effectual  one.  The  very  preliminaries  of  the  feet-washing 
scene  must  have  gone  far  to  change  the  current  of  feeling. 
How  the  spectators  must  have  stared  and  wondered  as  the 
Master  of  the  feast  rose  from  His  seat,  laid  aside  His  upper 
garment,  girt  Himself  with  a  towel,  and  poured  out  water 
into  a  basin,  doing  all  with  the  utmost  self-possession,  com- 
posure, and  deliberation  ! 

With  which  of  the  twelve  Jesus  made  a  beginning  we  are 
not  informed  ;  but  we  know,  as  we  might  have  guessed 
without  being  told,  who  was  the  first  to  speak  his  mind  about 
the  singular  transaction.  When  Peter's  turn  came,  he  had 
so  far  recovered  from  the  amazement,  under  whose  influence 
the  first  washed  may  have  yielded  passively  to  their  Lord's 
will,  as  to  be  capable  of  reflecting  on  the  indecency  of  such 
an  inversion  of  the  right  relation  between  master  and 
servants.  Therefore,  when  Jesus  came  to  him,  that  out- 
spoken disciple  asked,  in  astonishment,  "  Lord,  washest 
TI1021  my  feet }  "  His  spirit  rose  in  rebellion  against  the 
proposal,  as  one  injurious  to  the  dignity  of  his  beloved  Lord, 
and  as  an  outrage  upon  his  own  sense  of  reverence.  This 
impulse  of  instinctive  aversion  was  by  no  means  discreditable 
to  Peter,  and  it  was  evidently  not  regarded  with  disapproba- 
tion by  his  Master.  The  reply  of  Jesus  to  his  objection  is 
markedly  respectful  in  tone:  "What  I  do,"  He  said,  "thou 
knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter,"  virtually 
admitting  that  the  proceeding  in  question  needed  explana- 
tion, and  that  Peter's  opposition  was,  in  the  first  place, 
perfectly  natural.  "  I  acknowledge,"  He  meant  to  say,  "  that 
my  present  action  is  an  offence  to  the  feelings  of  reverence 
which  you  rightly  cherish  towards  me.     Nevertheless,  suffer 


The  Master  Serving.  345 

it.  I  do  this  for  reasons  which  you  do  not  comprehend  now, 
but  which  you  shall  understand  ere  long." 

Had  Peter  been  satisfied  with  this  apologetic  reply,  his 
conduct  would  have  been  entirely  free  from  blame.  But  He 
was  not  content,  but  persisted  in  opposition  after  Jesus  had 
distinctly  intimated  His  will,  and  vehemently  and  stubbornly 
exclaimed:  "Thou  shalt  never  yN^.^  my  feet !  "  The  tone 
here  changes  utterly.  Peter's  first  word  was  the  expression 
of  sincere  reverence  ;  his  second  is  simply  the  language  of 
unmitigated  irreverence  and  downright  disobedience.  He 
rudely  contradicts  his  Master,  and  at  the  same  time,  we  may 
add,  flatly  contradicts  himself.  His  whole  behavior  on  this 
occasion  presents  an  odd  mixture  of  moral  opposites  :  self- 
abasement  and  self-will,  humility  and  pride,  respect  and 
disrespect  for  Jesus,  to  whom  he  speaks  now  as  one  whose 
shoe-latchet  he  is  not  worthy  to  unloose,  and  anon  as  one  to 
whom  he  might  dictate  orders.  What  a  strange  man  !  But, 
indeed,  how  strange  are  we  all ! 

Peter  having  so  changed  his  tone,  Jesus  found  it  needful 
to  alter  His  tone  too,  from  the  apologetic  mildness  of  the  first 
reply  to  that  of  magisterial  sternness.  "  If  I  wash  thee  not," 
He  said  gravely,  "  thou  hast  no  part  with  me  ;  "  meaning, 
"  Thou  hast  taken  up  a  most  serious  position,  Simon  Peter, 
the  question  at  issue  being  simply.  Are  you,  or  are  you  not, 
to  be  admitted  into  my  kingdom  —  to  be  a  true  disciple,  and 
to  have  a  true  disciple's  reward  .-* " 

On  a  surface  view,  it  is  dilTficult  to  see  how  this  could  be 
the  state  of  the  question.  One  is  tempted  to  think  that 
Jesus  was  indulging  in  exaggeration,  for  the  purpose  of 
intimidating  a  refractory  disciple  into  compliance  with  His 
will.  If  we  reject  this  method  of  interpretation  as  incom- 
patible with  the  character  of  the  speaker  and  the  seriousness 
of  the  occasion,  we  are  thrown  back  on  the  inquiry,  What 
does  washing  in  this  statement  mean  .-'  Evidently  it  signifies 
more  than  meets  the  ear,  more  than  the  mere  literal  washing 
of  the  feet,  and  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  symbol  of  the  wash- 
ing of  the  soul  from  sin,  or  still  more  comprehensively,  and  in 
our  opinion  more  correctly,  as  representing  all  in  Christ's 
teaching  ajid  work  whicJi  would  be  cojnpromiscd  by  the  con- 
sistent carrying  out  of  the  principle  on  which  Peter 's  opposition 


34^  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

to  the  tvasJiing  of  his  feet  by  fesus  was  based.  On  either 
supposition  the  statement  of  Jesus  was  true  :  in  the  former 
case  obviously ;  in  the  latter  not  so  obviously,  but  not  less 
really,  as  we  proceed  to  show. 

Observe,  then,  what  was  involved  in  the  attitude  assumed 
by  Peter.  He  virtually  took  his  stand  on  these  two  positions  : 
that  he  would  admit  of  nothing  which  seemed  inconsistent 
with  the  personal  dignity  of  his  Lord,  and  that  he  would 
adopt  as  his  rule  of  conduct  his  own  judgment  in  preference 
to  Christ's  will ;  the  one  position  being  involved  in  the 
question,  Dost  Thou  wash  my  feet  .-*  the  other  in  the  resolu- 
tion, Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.  In  other  words,  the 
ground  taken  up  by  this  disciple  compromised  the  whole  sum 
and  substance  of  Christianity,  the  former  principle  sweeping 
away  Christ's  whole  state  and  experience  of  huniiliation,  and 
the  latter  not  less  certainly  sapping  the  foundation  of  Christ's 
lordship. 

That  this  is  no  exaggeration  on  our  part,  a  moment's 
reflection  will  show.  Look  first  at  the  objection  to  the  feet- 
washing  on  the  score  of  reverence.  If  Jesus  might  not 
wash  the  feet  of  His  disciples  because  it  was  beneath  His 
dignity,  then  with  equal  reason  objection  might  be  taken  to 
any  act  involving  self-humiliation.  One  who  said,  Thou  shalt 
not  wash  my  feet,  because  the  doing  of  it  is  unworthy  of 
Thee,  might  as  well  say.  Thou  shalt  not  wash  my  soul,  or 
do  aught  towards  that  end,  because  it  involves  humiliating 
experiences.  Why,  indeed,  make  a  difficulty  about  a  trifling 
matter  of  detail  .-*  Go  to  the  heart  of  the  business  at  once, 
and  ask,  "Shall  the  Eternal  Son  of  God  become  flesh,  and 
dwell  among  us  .-•  shall  He  who  was  in  the  form  of  God  lay 
aside  His  robes  of  state,  and  gird  Himself  with  the  towel  of 
humanity,  to  perform  menial  offices  for  His  own  creatures  .-' 
shall  the  ever-blessed  One  become  a  curse  by  enduring 
crucifixion  .''  shall  the  Holy  One  degrade  Himself  by  coming 
into  close  companionship  with  the  depraved  sons  of  Adam  .-' 
shall  the  Righteous  One  pour  His  life-blood  into  a  basin, 
that  there  may  be  a  fountain  wherein  the  unrighteous  may 
be  cleansed  from  their  guilt  and  iniquity  V  In  short,  incar- 
nation, atonement,  and  Christ's  whole  earthly  experience  of 
temptation,  hardship,  indignity,  and  sorrow,  must  go  if  Jesus 
may  not  wash  a  disciple's  feet. 


The  Master  Serving.  347 

Not  less  clearly  is  Christ's  lordship  at  an  end  if  a  disciple 
may  give  Him  orders,  and  say,  "  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my 
feet."  If  Peter  meant  any  thing  more  by  these  words  than  a 
display  of  temper  and  caprice,  he  meant  this  :  that  he  would 
not  submit  to  the  proposed  operation,  because  his  moral 
feelings  and  his  judgment  told  him  it  was  wrong.  He  made 
his  own  reason  and  conscience  the  supreme  rule  of  conduct. 
Now,  in  the  first  place,  by  this  position  the  principle  of 
obedience  was  compromised,  which  requires  that  the  will 
of  the  Lord,  once  known,  whether  we  understand  its  reason  or 
perceive  its  goodness  or  not,  shall  be  supreme.  Then  there 
are  other  things  much  more  important  than  the  washing  of 
the  feet,  to  which  objection  might  be  taken  on  the  score 
of  reason  or  conscience  with  equal  plausibility.  For  example, 
Christ  tells  us  that  those  who  would  be  His  disciples,  and 
obtain  entrance  into  His  kingdom,  must  be  willing  to  part 
with  earthly  goods,  and  even  with  nearest  and  dearest  friends. 
To  many  men  this  seems  unreasonable  ;  and  on  Peter's  prin- 
ciple they  should  forthwith  say,  "  I  will  never  do  any  such 
thing."  Or  again,  Christ  tells  us  that  we  must  be  born 
again,  and  that  we  must  eat  His  flesh  and  drink  His  blood. 
To  me  these  doctrin^es  may  seem  incomprehensible,  and  even 
absurd  ;  and  therefore,  on  Peter's  principle,  I  may  turn  my 
back  on  the  great  Teacher,  and  say,  "  I  will  not  have  this 
speaker  of  dark,  mystic  sayings  for  my  master."  Once  more, 
Christ  tells  us  that  we  must  give  the  kingdom  of  God  the 
first  place  in  our  thoughts,  and  dismiss  from  our  hearts 
carking  care  for  to-morrow.  To  me  this  may  appear  in  my 
present  mood  simply  impossible  ;  and  therefore,  on  Peter's 
principle,  I  may  set  aside  this  moral  requirement  as  Utopian, 
however  beautiful,  without  even  seriously  attempting  to 
comply  with  it. 

Now  that  we  know  whither  Peter's  refusal  tends,  we  can 
see  that  Jesus  spake  the  simple  truth  when  He  said  :  "  If  I 
wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  Look  at  that 
refusal  as  an  objection  to  Christ  humbling  Himself.  If 
Christ  may  not  humble  Himself,  then,  in  the  first  place.  He 
can  have  no  part  with  us.  The  Holy  Son  of  God  is  forbidden 
by  a  regard  to  His  dignity  to  become  in  any  thing  like  unto 
His  brethren,  or  even  to  acknowledge  them  as  His  brethren. 


348  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

The  grand  paternal  law,  by  which  the  Sanctifier  is  identified 
with  them  that  are  to  be  sanctified,  is  disannulled,  and  all  its 
consequences  made  void.  A  great  impassable  gulf  separates 
the  Divine  Being  from  His  creatures.  He  may  stand  on  the 
far-off  shore,  and  wistfully  contemplate  their  forlorn  estate  ; 
but  He  cannot,  He  dare  not  —  His  majesty  forbids  it  — come 
near  them,  and  reach  forth  a  helping  hand. 

But  if  the  Son  of  God  may  have  no  part  with  us,  then,  in 
the  second  place,  we  can  have  no  part  with  Him.  We  cannot 
share  His  fellowship  with  the  Father,  if  He  come  not  forth 
to  declare  Him.  We  can  receive  no  acts  of  brotherly  kind- 
ness from  Him.  He  cannot  deliver  us  from  the  curse  of  the 
law,  or  from  the  fear  of  death  ;  He  cannot  succor  us  when 
we  are  tempted ;  He  cannot  wash  our  feet  ;  nay,  what  is  a 
far  more  serious  matter,  He  cannot  wash  our  souls.  If  there 
is  to  be  no  fountain  opened  for  sin  in  the  human  nature  of 
Emmanuel,  sinners  must  remain  impure.  For  a  God  afar 
off  is  not  able,  even  if  He  were  willing,  to  purify  the  human 
soul.  A  God  whose  majesty,  like  an  iron  fate,  kept  Him 
aloof  from  sinners,  could  not  even  effectively  forgive  them. 
Still  less  could  He  sanctify  them.  Love  alone  has  sanctify- 
ing virtue,  and  what  room  is  there  for  love  in  a  Being  who 
cannot  humble  Himself  to  be  a  servant .'' 

Look  now  at  Peter's  refusal  as  resistance  to  Christ's  will. 
In  this  view  also  it  justified  the  saying,  "Thou  hast  no  part 
with  me."  It  excluded  from  salvation ;  for  if  Jesus  is  not  to 
be  Lord,  He  will  not  be  Saviour.'  It  excluded  from  fellow- 
ship ;  for  Jesus  will  have  no  communion  with  self-will.  His 
own  attitude  towards  His  Father  was,  "  Not  my  will,  but 
Thine  ; "  and  He  demands  this  attitude  towards  Himself  in 
turn  from  all  His  disciples.  He  will  be  the  Author  of  eternal 
salvation,  only  to  them  that  obey  Him.  Not  that  He  would 
have  us  be  always  servants,  blindly  obeying  a  Lord  whose 
will  we  do  not  understand.  His  aim  is  to  advance  us  ulti- 
mately to  the  status  of  friends,^  doing  His  will  intelligently 
and  freely  —  not  as  complying  mechanically  with  an  outward 
commandment,  but  as  being  a  law  to  ourselves.     But  we  can 

'  Peter  the  apostle  understood  this  well.     Four  times  in  his  second  epistle  he  conjoins 
Lord  and  Saviour  in  naming  Christ      (i.  II,  ii.  20.  iii.  2,  18). 
2  John  XV.  15. 


The  Master  Serving.  349 

attain  that  high  position  only  by  beginning  with  a  servant's 
obedience.  We  must  do,  and  suffer  to  be  done  to  us,  what 
we  know  not  now,  in  order  that  we  may  know  hereafter  the 
philosophy  of  our  duty  to  our  Lord,  and  of  our  Lord's  deal- 
ings with  us.  And  the  perfection  of  obedience  lies  in  doing 
that  which  reverence  unenlightened  finds  peculiarly  hard,  viz. 
in  letting  the  Lord  change  places  with  us,  and  if  it  seem  good 
to  Him,  humble  Himself  to  be  our  servant. 

It  was  a  serious  thing,  therefore,  to  say,  "Thou  shalt 
never  wash  my  feet."  But  Peter  was  not  aware  how  serious 
it  was.  He  knew  not  what  he  said,  or  what  he  did.  He 
had  hastily  taken  up  a  position  whose  ground  and  conse- 
quences he  had  not  considered.  And  his  heart  was  right, 
though  his  temper  was  wrong.  Therefore  the  stern  declara- 
tion of  Jesus  at  once  brought  him  to  reason,  or  rather  to 
unreason  in  an  opposite  direction.  The  idea  of  being  cut 
off  from  his  dear  Master's  sympathy  or  favor  through  his 
waywardness  drove  him  in  sheer  fright  to  the  opposite 
extreme  of  overdone  compliance  ;  and  he  said  in  effect,  "  If 
my  interest  in  Thee  depends  on  my  feet  being  washed,  then, 
Lord,  wash  my  whole  body — hands,  head,  feet,  and  all." 
How  characteristic !  how  like  a  child,  in  whose  heart  is  much 
foolishness,  but  also  much  affection,  and  who  can  always  be 
managed  by  the  bands  of  love  !  There  is  as  yet  a  sad  want 
of  balance  in  this  disciple's  character :  he  goes,  swinging  like 
a  pendulum,  from  one  extreme  to  another  ;  and  it  will  take 
some  time  ere  he  settle  down  into  a  harmonious  equipoise 
of  all  parts  of  his  being  —  intellect,  will,  heart,  and  con- 
science. But  the  root  of  the  matter  is  in  him  :  he  is  sound 
at  the  core  ;  and  after  the  due  amount  of  mistakes,  he  will 
become  a  wise  man  by  and  by.  He  is  clean,  and  needs  not 
more  than  to  have  his  feet  washed.  Jesus  Himself  admits 
it  of  him,  and  of  all  his  brother-disciples  —  save  one,  who  is 
unclean  all  over. 


350  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 


Section  II.  —  The  Explanation. 

John  xiii.  12-20. 

Peter's  resistance  overcome,  the  washing  proceeded  with- 
out further  interruption.  When  the  process  had  come  to 
an  end,  Jesus,  putting  on  again  His  upper  garment,  resumed 
His  seat,  and  briefly  explained  to  His  disciples  the  purport 
of  the  action.  "  Know  ye,"  He  inquired,  "what  I  have  done 
unto  you  .'* "  Then,  answering  His  own  question,  He  went 
on  to  say  :  "  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord  :  and  ye  say  well ; 
for  so  I  am.  If  I,  then,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed 
your  feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet.  For  I 
have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done 
to  you." 

It  was  another  lesson  in  humility  which  Jesus  had  been 
giving  "His  own," — a  lesson  very  similar  to  the  earlier 
ones  recorded  in  the  synoptical  Gospels.  John's  Christ,  we 
see  here,  teaches  the  same  doctrine  as  the  Christ  of  the 
three  first  evangelists.  The  twelve,  as  they  are  depicted 
in  the  fourth  Gospel,  are  just  such  as  we  have  found  them  in 
Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke  —  grievously  needing  to  be  taught 
meekness  and  brotherly  kindness  ;  and  Jesus  teaches  them 
these  virtues  in  much  the  same  way  here  as  elsewhere  — 
by  precept  and  example,  by  symbolic  act,  and  added  word  of 
interpretation.  Once  He  held  up  a  little  child,  to  shame 
them  out  of  ambitious  passions ;  here  He  rebukes  their 
pride,  by  becoming  the  menial  of  the  household.  At  another 
time  He  hushed  their  angry  strife  by  adverting  to  His  own 
self-humiliation,  in  coming  from  heaven  to  be  a  minister  to 
men's  needs  in  life  and  in  death  ;  here  He  accomplishes  the 
same  end,  by  expressing  the  spirit  and  aim  of  His  whole 
earthly  ministry  in  a  representative,  typical  act  of  con- 
descension. 

This  lesson,  like  all  the  rest,  Jesus  gave  with  the  authority 
of  one  who  might  lay  down  the  law.  In  the  very  act  of 
playing  the  servant's  part.  He  was  asserting  His  sovereignty. 
He  reminds  His  disciples,  when  the  service  is  over,  of  the 
titles  they  were  wont  to  give  Him,  and  in  a  marked,  emphatic 
manner  He  accepts  them  as   His   due.     He  tells  them  dis- 


The  Master  Serving.  351 

tinctly  that  He  is  indeed  their  Teacher,  whose  doctrine  it  is 
their  business  to  learn,  and  their  Lord,  whose  will  it  is  their 
duty  to  obey.  His  humility,  therefore,  is  manifestly  not  an 
affectation  of  ignorance  as  to  who  and  what  He  is.  He  knows 
full  well  who  He  is,  whence  He  has  come,  whither  He  is 
going  ;  His  humility  is  that  of  a  king,  yea,  of  a  Divine  Being. 
The  pattern  of  meekness  is  at  the  same  time  one  who  pre- 
scribes Himself  to  His  followers  as  a  pattern,  and  demands 
that  they  fix  their  attention  on  His  behavior,  and  strive  to 
copy  it. 

In  making  this  demand,  Jesus  is  obviously  very  thoroughly 
in  earnest.  He  is  not  less  earnest  in  requiring  the  disciples 
to  wash  one  another's  feet,  than  He  was  in  insisting  that  He 
Himself  should  wash  the  feet  of  one  and  all.  As  He  said  to 
Peter  in  express  words,  "  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part 
with  me ;  "  so  He  says  to  them  all  in  effect,  though  not  in 
words,  "  If  ye  wash  not  each  other,  if  ye  refuse  to  serve  one 
another  in  love,  ye  have  again  no  part  with  me."  This  is  a 
hard  saying  ;  for  if  it  be  difficult  to  believe  in  the  humiliation 
of  Christ,  it  is  still  more  difficult  to  humble  ourselves. 
Hence,  notwithstanding  the  frequency  and  urgency  with 
which  the  Saviour  declares  that  we  must  have  the  spirit 
manifested  in  His  humiliation  _/<?;'  us  dwelling  in  us,  and 
giving  birth  in  our  life  to  conduct  kindred  to  His  own,  even 
sincere  disciples  are  constantly,  though  it  may  be  half  uncon- 
sciously, inventing  excuses  for  treating  the  example  of  their 
Lord  as  utterly  inimitable,  and  therefore  in  reality  no  exam- 
ple at  all.  Even  the  apparently  unanswerable  argument 
employed  by  Jesus  to  enforce  imitation  does  not  escape 
secret  criticism.  "Verily,  verily,"  saith  He,  "a  servant  is 
not  greater  than  his  lord,  neither  he  that  is  sent  greater  than 
he  that  sent  him."  "It  may,"  say  we,  "be  more  incumbent 
on  the  servant  to  humble  himself  than  on  the  master,  but  in 
some  respects  it  is  also  more  difficult.  The  master  can 
afford  to  condescend  :  his  action  will  not  be  misunderstood, 
but  will  be  taken  for  what  it  is.  But  the  servant  cannot 
afford  to  be  humble  :  he  must  assert  himself,  and  assume 
airs,  in  order  to  make  himself  of  any  consequence." 

The  great  Master  knew  too  well  how  slow  men  would  ever 
be  to  learn  the  lesson  He  had  just  been  teaching  His  disciples. 


352  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Therefore  He  appended  to  His  explanation  of  the  feet-washing 
this  reflection  :  "  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye 
do  them,"  hinting  at  the  rarity  and  difficulty  of  such  high 
morality  as  He  had  been  inculcating,  and  declaring  the 
blessedness  of  the  few  who  attained  unto  it.  And  surely  the 
reflection  is  just !  Is  not  the  morality  here  enjoined  indeed 
rare  ?  Are  not  the  virtues  called  into  play  by  acts  of  conde- 
scension and  charity  most  high  and  difficult  ?  Who  dreams 
of  calling  them  easy  ?  How  utterly  contrary  they  are  to  the 
native  tendencies  of  the  human  heart !  how  alien  from  the 
spirit  of  society !  Is  it  the  way  of  men  to  be  content  with 
the  humblest  place,  and  to  seek  their  felicity  in  serving 
others  ?  Doth  not  the  spirit  that  is  in  us  lust  unto  envy, 
strive  ambitiously  for  positions  of  influence,  and  deem  it  the 
greatest  happiness  to  be  served,  and  to  be  exempt  from  the 
drudgery  of  servile  tasks  ?  The  world  itself  does  not  dispute 
the  difficulty  of  Christ-like  virtue  ;  it  rather  exaggerates  its 
difficulty,  and  pronounces  it  Utopian  and  impracticable  — 
merely  a  beautiful,  unattainable  ideal. 

And  as  for  the  sincere  disciple  of  Jesus,  no  proof  is  needed 
to  convince  him  of  the  arduousness  of  the  task  appointed  him 
by  his  Lord.  He  knows  by  bitter  experience  how  far  con- 
duct lags  behind  knowledge,  and  how  hard  it  is  to  translate 
admiration  of  unearthly  goodness  into  imitation  thereof.  His 
mind  is  familiarly  conversant  with  the  doctrine  and  life  of 
the  Saviour  ;  he  has  read  and  re-read  the  Gospel  story,  fondly 
lingering  over  its  minutest  details  ;  his  heart  has  burned  as 
he  followed  the  footsteps  of  the  Blessed  One  walking  about 
on  this  earth,  ever  intent  on  doing  good  :  sweeter  to  his  ear 
than  the  finest  lyric  poems  are  the  stories  of  the  woman  by 
the  well,  the  sinner  in  the  house  of  Simon,  and  of  Zacchaeus 
the  publican  ;  those  touching  incidents  of  the  little  child 
upheld  as  a  pattern  of  humility,  and  of  the  Master  washing 
quarrelsome  disciples'  feet,  and  the  exquisite  parables  of  the 
Lost  Sheep,  the  Prodigal,  and  the  Good  Samaritan.  But 
when  he  has  to  close  his  New  Testament,  and  go  away  into 
the  rude,  ungodly,  matter-of-fact  world,  and  be  there  a  Christ- 
like man,  and  do  the  things  which  he  knows  so  intimately, 
and  counts  himself  blessed  in  knowing,  alas,  what  a  descent ! 
It  is  like  a  fall  from  Eden  into  a  state  of  mere  sin  and  misery. 


The  Master  Serving.  353 

And  the  longer  he  lives,  and  the  more  he  gets  mixed  up  with 
life's  relations  and  engagements,  the  further  he  seems  to 
himself  to  degenerate  from  the  gospel  pattern  ;  till  at  length 
he  is  almost  ashamed  to  think  or  speak  of  the  beauties  of 
holiness  exhibited  therein,  and  is  tempted  to  adopt  a  lower 
and  more  worldly  tone,  out  of  a  regard  to  sincerity,  and  in  fear 
of  becoming  a  mere  sentimental  hypocrite  like  Judas,  who 
kissed  his  Master  at  the  very  moment  he  was  betraying  Him. 
In  proportion  to  the  difficulty  and  the  rarity  of  the  virtue 
prescribed  is  the  felicity  of  those  who  are  enabled  to  practise 
it.  Theirs  is  a  threefold  blessedness.  First,  they  have  the 
joy  connected  with  the  achievement  of  an  arduous  task. 
Easy  undertakings  bring  small  pains,  but  they  also  bring 
small  pleasures ;  rapturous  delight  is  reserved  for  those  who 
attempt  and  accomplish  that  which  passes  for  impossible. 
And  what  raptures  can  be  purer,  holier,  and  more  intense 
than  those  of  the  man  who  has  at  length  succeeded  in  making 
the  mind  of  the  meek  and  lowly  One  his  own  ;  who,  after 
long  climbing,  has  reached  the  alpine  summit  of  self-forgetful, 
self-humbling  love !  Those  who  practise  the  things  here 
enjoined  further  win  for  themselves  the  approbation  of  their 
Lord.  A  master  is  pleased  when  a  pupil  understands  his 
lesson,  but  a  lord  is  pleased  only  when  his  servants  do  his 
bidding.  Christ,  being  Lord  as  well  as  Master,  demands  that 
we  shall  not  only  knoiu  but  do.  And  in  proportion  to  the 
preremptoriness  of  the  demand  is  the  satisfaction  with  which 
the  Lord  of  Christians  regards  all  earnest  efforts  to  comply 
with  His  will  and  to  follow  His  example.  And  to  all  who 
make  such  efforts  it  is  a  great  happiness  to  be  assured  of 
the  approval  of  Him  whom  they  serve.  The  thought,  "  I  am 
guided  in  my  present  action  by  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  and  He 
approves  what  I  do,"  sustains  the  mind  in  peace,  even  when 
one  has  not  the  happiness  to  win  the  approbation  of  his 
fellow-men  ;  which  is  not  an  impertinent  remark  here,  for  it 
will  often  happen  to  us  to  please  men  least  when  we  are 
pleasing  the  Lord  most.  You  shall  please  many  men  by  a 
prudent  selfishness  much  more  readily  than  by  a  generous 
uncalculating  devotion  to  what  is  rigJit.  "  Men  will  praise 
thee  when  thou  doest  well  to  thyself ; "  and  they  will  wink  at 
very  considerable  deviations  from  the  line  of  pure  Christian 


354  T^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

morality  in  the  prosecution  of  self-interest,  provided  you  be 
successful.  Even  religious  people  will  often  vex  and  grieve 
you  by  advices  savoring  much  more  of  worldly  wisdom  than 
of  Christian  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity.  But  if  Christ 
approve,  we  may  make  shift  to  do  without  the  sympathy  and 
approbation  of  men.  Their  approbation  is  at  most  but  a 
comfort ;  His  is  matter  of  life  and  death. 

The  third  element  in  the  felicity  of  the  man  who  is  not 
merely  a  forgetful  hearer,  but  a  doer  of  the  perfect  law  of 
Christ,  is  that  he  escapes  the  guilt  of  unimproved  knowledge. 
It  is  a  religious  commonplace  that  to  sin  against  light  is 
more  heinous  than  to  sin  in  ignorance.  "  To  him  that 
knoweth  to  do  good,  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin."  And, 
of  course,  the  clearer  the  light  the  greater  the  responsibility. 
Now,  in  no  department  of  Christian  truth  is  knowledge 
clearer  than  in  that  which  belongs  to  the  department  of 
ethics.  There  are  some  doctrines  which  the  church,  as  a 
whole,  can  hardly  be  said  to  know,  they  are  so  mysterious, 
or  so  disputed.  But  the  ethical  teaching  of  Jesus  is  simple 
and  copious  in  all  its  leading  features  ;  it  is  universally  under- 
stood, and  as  universally  admired.  Protestants  and  Papists, 
Trinitarians,  Socinians,  and  Deists,  are  all  at  one  here. 
Happy  then  are  they,  of  all  sects  and  denominations,  who  do 
the  things  which  all  know  and  agree  in  admiring  ;  for  a  heavy 
woe  lies  on  those  who  do  them  not.  The  woe  is  not  indeed 
expressed,  but  it  is  implied  in  Christ's  words.  The  common 
Lord  of  all  believers  virtually  addresses  all  Christendom 
here,  saying  :  "  Ye  behold  the  sunlight  of  a  perfect  example  ; 
ye  have  been  made  acquainted  with  a  high  and  lovely  ideal 
of  life,  such  as  pagan  moralists  never  dreamed  of.  What  are 
ye  doing  with  your  light  .'*  Are  ye  merely  looking  at  it,  and 
writing  books  about  it,  and  boasting  of  it,  and  talking  of  it, 
meanwhile  allowing  men  outside  the  pale  of  the  church  to 
surpass  you  in  humane  and  philanthropic  virtue  t  If  this  is  all 
the  use  you  are  making  of  your  knowledge,  it  will  be  more 
tolerable  for  pagans  at  the  day  of  judgment  than  for  you." 

Having  made  the  reflection  we  have  been  considering, 
Jesus  followed  it  up  with  a  word  of  apology  for  the  tone  of 
suspicion  with  which  it  was  uttered,  and  which  was  no  doubt 
felt  by  the  disciples.     "I  speak  not,"  He  said,  "of  you  all: 


The  Master  Serving.  355 

I  know  whom  I  have  chosen  :  but  that  the  scripture  may  be 
fulfilled,  He  that  eateth  bread  with  me  hath  lifted  up  his  heel 
against  me."  The  remark  may  be  thus  paraphrased:  "In 
hinting  at  the  possibility  of  a  knowledge  of  right,  unaccom- 
panied by  corresponding  action,  I  have  not  been  indulging 
in  gratuitous  insinuation.  I  do  not  indeed  think  so  badly  of 
you  all  as  to  imagine  you  capable  of  deliberate  and  habitual 
neglect  of  known  duty.  But  there  is  one  among  you  who  is 
capable  of  such  conduct.  I  have  chosen  you  twelve,  and  I 
know  the  character  of  every  one  of  you  ;  and,  as  I  said  a  year 
ago,  after  asking  a  question  which  hurt  your  feelings,  that 
one  of  you  had  a  devil,'  so  now,  after  making  a  suspicious 
reflection,  I  say  there  is  one  among  you  whose  character 
illustrates  negatively  its  meaning ;  one  who  knows,  but  will 
not  do  ;  who  puts  sentiment  in  place  of  action,  and  admiration 
in  place  of  imitation  ;  one  who,  having  eaten  bread  with  me 
as  a  familiar  friend,  will  repay  me  for  all  my  kindness,  not 
by  loving  obedience,  but  by  lifting  up  his  heel  against  me." 
The  infirmity  of  sincere  disciples  Jesus  could  patiently  bear 
with:  but  the  Judas-character  —  in  which  correct  thinking 
and  fine  sentiment  are  combined  with  falseness  of  heart  and 
practical  laxity,  in  which  to  promise  is  put  in  place  of  perform- 
ance, and  to  utter  the  becoming  word  about  a  matter  is 
substituted  for  doing  the  appropriate  deed  —  such  a  character 
His  soul  utterly  abhorred. 

Who  can  doubt  that  it  was  not  in  vain  that  sincere  disciples 
had  been  so  long  in  the  society  of  One  who  was  so  exacting 
in  His  ideal,  and  that  they  really  did  strive  in  after  years  to 
fulfil  their  Master's  will,  and  serve  one  another  in  love } 

'  John  vi.  66-70.  The  words  of  Jesus  on  the  present  occasion  become  clearer  when 
viewed  in  the  light  of  the  earlier  occurrence,  comparing  the  two  passages  together.  We 
are  satisfied  that  the  words,  "  I  speak  not  of  you  all,"  mean,  "  I  do  not  suspect  you  all 
of  the  sin  of  knowing  and  not  doing,  rather  than,  "  You  shall  not  all  partake  of  the 
happiness  of  those  who  both  know  and  do." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

IN     MEMORIAM  ;      OR,     FOURTH     LESSON     ON     THE     DOCTRINE 
OF     THE    CROSS. 

Matt.  xxvi.  26-29;  Mark  xiv.  22-25;  Luke  xxii.  17-20(1  Cor.  xi.  23-26). 

The  Lord's  Supper  is  a  monument  sacred  to  the  memory 
of  Jesus  Christ.  "This  do  in  remembrance  of  me."  In 
Bethany  Jesus  had  spoken  as  if  He  desired  that  Mary  should 
be  kept  in  remembrance  in  the  preaching  of  His  Gospel  ;  in 
the  supper  chamber  He  expressed  His  desire  to  be  remem- 
bered  Himself.  He  would  have  Mary's  deed  of  love  com- 
memorated by  the  rehearsal  of  her  story ;  He  would  have 
His  own  deed  of  love  commemorated  by  a  symbolic  action, 
to  be  often  repeated  throughout  the  ages  to  the  end  of  the 
world. 

The  rite  of  the  Supper,  besides  commemorating,  is  like- 
wise of  use  to  interpret  the  Lord's  death.  It  throws  important 
light  on  the  meaning  of  that  solemn  event.  The  institution 
of  this  symbolic  feast  was  in  fact  the  most  important  contri- 
bution made  by  Jesus  during  His  personal  ministry  to  the 
doctrine  of  atonement  through  the  sacrifice  of  Himself.  There- 
from more  clearly  than  from  any  other  act  or  word  performed  or 
spoken  by  Hmi,  the  twelve  might  learn  to  conceive  of  their 
Master's  death  as  possessing  a  redemptive  character.  Thereby 
Jesus,  as  it  were,  said  to  His  disciples  :  My  approaching 
passion  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  mere  calamity,  or  dark 
disaster,  falling  out  contrary  to  the  divine  purpose  or  my 
expectation  ;  not  as  a  fatal  blow  inflicted  by  ungodly  men  on 
me  and  you,  and  the  cause  which  is  dear  to  us  all ;  not  even 
as  an  evil  which  may  be  overruled  for  good  ;  but  as  an  event 
fulfilling,  not  frustrating,  the  purpose  of  my  mission,  and 
fruitful  of  blessing  to  the  world.  What  men  mean  for  evil, 
God  means  for  good,  to  bring  to  pass  to  save  much  people 
356 


In  Memoriam.  357 

alive.  The  shedding  of  my  blood,  in  one  aspect  the  crime  of 
wicked  Jews,  is  in  another  aspect  my  own  voluntary  act.  I 
pour  forth  my  blood  for  a  gracious  end,  even  for  the  remission 
of  sins.  My  death  will  initiate  a  new  dispensation,  and  seal 
a  new  testament ;  it  will  fulfil  the  purpose,  and  therefore 
take  the  place,  of  the  manifold  sacrifices  of  the  Mosaic  ritual, 
and  in  particular  of  the  paschal  lamb,  which  is  even  now 
being  eaten.  I  shall  be  the  Paschal  Lamb  of  the  Israel  of 
God  henceforth  ;  at  once  protecting  them  from  death,  and 
feeding  their  souls  with  my  crucified  humanity,  as  the  bread 
of  eternal  life. 

These  truths  are  very  familiar  to  us,  however  new  and 
strange  they  may  have  been  to  the  disciples ;  and  we  are 
more  accustomed  to  explain  the  Supper  by  the  death,  than 
the  death  by  the  Supper.  It  may  be  useful,  however,  here 
to  reverse  the  process,  and,  imagining  ourselves  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  twelve,  as  witnesses  to  the  institution  of  a  new 
religious  symbol,  to  endeavor  to  rediscover  therefrom  the 
meaning  of  the  event  with  which  it  is  associated,  and  whose 
significance  it  is  intended  to  shadow  forth.  Let  us,  then, 
take  our  stand  beside  this  ancient  monument,  and  try  to  read 
the  Runic  inscription  on  its  weather-worn  surface. 

I.  First,  then,  we  perceive  at  once  that  it  is  to  the  death 
of  Jesus  this  monument  refers.  It  is  not  merely  erected  to 
His  memory  in  general,  but  it  is  erected  specially  in  memory 
of  His  decease.  All  things  point  forward  to  what  was  about 
to  take  place  on  Calvary.  The  sacramental  acts  of  breaking 
the  bread  and  pouring  out  the  wine  manifestly  look  that  way. 
The  words  also  spoken  by  Jesus  in  instituting  the  Supper  all 
involve  allusions  to  His  death.  Both  the  fact  and  the  manner 
of  His  death  are  hinted  at,  by  the  distinction  He  makes 
between  His  body  and  His  blood  :  "This  is  my  body,"  "This 
is  my  blood."  Body  and  blood  are  one  in  life,  and  become 
separate  things  only  by  death  ;  and  not  by  every  kind  of 
death,  but  by  one  whose  manner  involves  blood-shedding,  as 
in  the  case  of  sacrificial  victims.  The  epithets  applied  to 
the  body  and  the  blood  point  at  death  still  more  clearly. 
Jesus  speaks  of  His  body  as  "given  "  — as  if  to  be  slain  or 
"broken"  '  in  sacrifice,  and  of  His  blood  as  "shed."     Then, 

*  I  Cor.  xi.  24. 


358  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

finally,  by  describing  the  blood  about  to  be  shed  as  the  blood 
of  a  new  testament,  the  Saviour  put  it  beyond  all  doubt 
what  He  was  alluding  to.  Where  a  testament  is,  there  must 
also  be  the  death  of  the  testator.  And  though  an  ordinary 
testator  may  die  an  ordinary  death,  the  Testator  of  the  nezo 
testament  must  die  a  sacrificial  death  ;  for  the  epithet 
new  implies  a  reference  to  the  old  Jewish  covenant,  which 
was  ratified  by  the  sacrifice  of  burnt-offerings  and  peace- 
offerings  of  oxen,  whose  blood  was  sprinkled  on  the  altar 
and  on  the  people,  and  called  by  Moses  "  the  blood  of  the 
covenant." 

2.  The  mere  fact  that  the  Lord's  Supper  commemorates 
specially  the  Lord's  dcatJi,  implies  that  that  death  must  have 
been  an  event  of  a  very  important  character.  By  instituting 
a  symbolic  rite  for  such  a  purpose,  Jesus,  as  it  were,  said  to 
His  disciples  and  to  us  :  "  Fix  your  eyes  on  Calvary,  and 
watch  what  happens  there.  That  is  the  great  event  in  my 
earthly  history.  Other  men  have  monuments  erected  to  them 
because  they  have  lived  lives  deemed  memorable.  I  wish 
you  to  erect  a  monument  to  me  because  I  have  died  :  not 
forgetful  of  my  life  indeed,  yet  specially  mindful  of  my 
death ;  commemorating  it  for  its  own  sake,  not  merely  for 
the  sake  of  the  life  whereof  it  is  the  termination.  The 
memory  of  other  men  is  cherished  by  the  celebration  of  their 
birthday  anniversaries  ;  but  in  my  case,  better  is  the  day 
of  my  death  than  the  day  of  my  birth  for  the  purpose  of  a 
commemorative  celebration.  My  birth  into  this  world  was 
marvellous  and  momentous  ;  but  still  more  marvellous  and 
momentous  is  my  exit  out  of  it  by  crucifixion.  Of  my  birth 
no  festive  commemoration  is  needed  ;  but  of  my  death  keep 
alive  the  memory  by  the  Holy  Supper  till  I  come  again. 
Remembering  it  well,  you  remember  all  my  earthly  history ; 
for  of  all  it  is  the  secret,  the  consummation,  and  the  crown." 

But  why,  in  a  history  throughout  so  remarkable,  should 
the  death  be  thus  singled  out  for  commemoration  .-*  Was  it 
its  tragic  character  that  won  for  it  this  distinction  }  Did  the 
Crucified  One  mean  the  Supper  which  goes  by  His  Name 
to  be  a  mere  dramatic  representation  of  His  passion,  for  the 
purpose  of  exciting  our  feelings,  and  eliciting  a  sympathetic 
tear,  by  renewing  the  memory  of  His  dying  sorrows .-'     So 


In  Memoriam.  359 

to  think  of  the  matter  were  to  degrade  our  Christian  feast  to 
the  level  of  the  pagan  festival  of  Adonis, 

'*  Whose  annual  wound  in  Lebanon  allured 
The  Syrian  damsels  to  lament  his  fate 
In  amorous  ditties  all  a  summer's  day." 

Or  was  it  the  foul  wrong  and  shameful  indignity  done  to  the 
Son  of  God  by  the  wicked  men  who  crucified  Him  that  Jesus 
wished  to  have  kept  in  perpetual  remembrance  ?  Was  the 
Holy  Supper  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  branding  with 
eternal  infamy  a  world  that  knew  no  better  use  to  make  of 
the  Holy  One  than  to  nail  Him  to  a  tree,  and  felt  more 
kindness  even  for  a  robber  than  for  Him  ?  Certainly  the 
world  well  deserved  to  be  thus  held  up  to  reprobation  ;  but 
the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  condemn  sinners,  but  to  save 
them  ;  and  it  was  not  in  His  loving  nature  to  erect  an 
enduring  monument  to  His  own  resentment  or  to  the  dis- 
honor of  His  murderers.  The  blood  of  Jesus  speaketh  better 
things  tJian  that  of  Abel. 

Or  was  it  because  His  death  on  the  cross,  in  spite  of  its 
indignity  and  shame,  was  glorious,  as  a  testimony  to  His 
invincible  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness, 
that  Jesus  instructed  His  followers  to  keep  it  ever  in  mind, 
by  the  celebration  of  the  new  symbolic  rite }  Is  the  festival 
of  the  Supper  to  be  regarded  as  a  solemnity  of  the  same 
kind  as  those  by  which  the  early  church  commemorated 
the  death  of  the  martyrs }  Is  the  Coend  Domini  simply  the 
natalitia  of  the  great  Protomartyr  .<*  So  Socinians  would 
have  us  believe.  To  the  question  why  the  Lord  wished  the 
memory  of  His  crucifixion  to  be  specially  celebrated  in  His 
church  the  Racovian  Catechism  replies  :  "  Because  of  all 
Christ's  actions,  it  (the  voluntary  enduring  of  death)  was 
the  greatest  and  most  proper  to  Him.  For  although  the 
resurrection  and  exaltation  of  Christ  were  far  greater,  these 
were  acts  of  God  the  Father  rather  than  of  Christ."  '  In 
other  words,  the  death  above  all  things  deserves  to  be 
remembered,  because  it  was  the  most  signal  and  sublime  act 
of  witness-bearing  on  Christ's  part  to  the  truth,  the  glorious 

*  De  Coend  Domini,  Quaestio  iv. 


360  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

copestone  of  a  noble  life  of  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the 
high  and  perilous  vocation  of  a  prophet. 

That  Christ's  death  was  all  this  is  of  course  true,  and  that 
it  is  worthy  of  remembrance  as  an  act  of  martyrdom  is  equally 
true ;  but  whether  Jesus  instituted  the  Holy  Supper  for  the 
purpose  of  commemorating  His  death  exclusively,  principally, 
or  at  all  as  a  martyrdom,  is  a  different  question.  On  this 
point  we  must  learn  the  truth  from  Christ's  own  lips.  Let 
us  return,  then,  to  the  history  of  the  institution,  to  learn  His 
mind  about  the  matter. 

3.  Happily  the  Lord  Jesus  explained  with  particular  clear- 
ness in  what  aspect  He  wished  His  death  to  be  the  subject 
of  commemorative  celebration.  In  distributing  to  His  dis- 
ciples the  sacramental  bread.  He  said,  "This  is  my  body, 
given,  or  broken,  yi^rj^// ;"  '  thereby  intimating  that  His 
death  was  to  be  commemorated  because  of  a  benefit  it 
procured  for  the  communicant.  In  handing  to  the  disciples 
the  sacramental  cup.  He  said,  "  Drink  ye  all  of  it  ;  for  this 
is  my  blood  of  the  new  testament,  shed  (for  you  ^  and)  for 
many  for  the  remission  of  sins  ; "  ^  thereby  indicating  the 
nature  of  the  benefit  procured  by  His  death,  on  account  of 
which  it  was  worthy  to  be  remembered. 

In  this  creative  word  of  the  new  dispensation  Jesus 
represents  His  death  as  a  sin-offering,  atoning  for  guilt,  and 
purchasing  forgiveness  of  moral  debt.  His  blood  was  to  be 
shed  for  the  remission  of  sins.  In  view  of  this  function  the 
blood  is  called  the  blood  of  the  new  testament,  in  apparent 
allusion  to  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah,  which  contains  a 
promise  of  a  new  covenant  to  be  made  by  God  with  the 
house  of  Israel,  — a  covenant  whose  leading  blessing  should 
be  the  forgiveness  of  iniquity,  and  called  new,  because, 
unlike  the  old,  it  would  be  a  covenant  of  pure  grace,  of 
promises  unclogged  with  legal  stipulations."*     By  mentioning 

'  Luke  and  Paul.  2  Luke. 

5  Matthew.  On  the  genuineness  of  these  words,  see  Neander,  Life  of  Christ ;  also 
Keim,  jfesti  von  Nazara. 

■*  Jer.  xxxi.  31-34.  Such  a  covenant  is  on  man's  side  hardly  a  covenant  at  all.  See 
Witsius,  De  CEc.  Fid.  lib.  iii.  cap.  i.  8-12.  The  blessings  of  the  new  covenant  as 
described  by  the  prophet  are  these  three — (1)  The  law  written  on  i\\e:hcart,  instead  of 
on  tables  of  stone  =  regeneration  —  moral  renewal ;  (2)  the  knowledge  of  God  sunplified, 
and  made  accessible  to  all  =  abolition  of  elaborate  Levitical  ritual;  (3)  forgiveness  of 
sins. 


In  Memoriam.  361 

His  blood  and  the  neiv  covenant  together,  Jesus  teaches 
that,  while  annulling,  He  would  at  the  same  time  fulfil  the 
old,  in  introducing  the  new.  The  new  covenant  would  be 
ratified  by  sacrifice,  even  as  was  the  old  one  at  Sinai,  and 
remission  of  sin  would  be  granted  after  blood-shedding.  But 
in  bidding  His  disciples  drink  the  cup,  the  Lord  intimates 
that  after  His  death  there  will  be  no  more  need  of  sacrifices. 
The  sin-offering  of  blood  will  be  converted  into  a  thank- 
offering  of  wine,  a  cup  of  salvation,  to  be  drunk  with 
grateful,  joyful  hearts  by  all  who  through  faith  in  His 
sacrifice  have  received  the  pardon  of  their  sins.  Finally, 
Jesus  intimates  that  the  new  covenant  concerns  the  mmiy, 
not  the  few — not  Israel  alone,  but  all  nations  :  it  is  a  gospel 
which  He  bequeaths  to  sinners  of  mankind. 

Well  may  we  drink  of  this  cup  with  thankfulness  and  joy ; 
for  the  "new  covenant "  (new,  yet  far  older  than  the  old),  of 
which  it  is  the  seal,  is  in  all  respects  well  ordered  and  sure. 
Well  ordered  ;  for  surely  it  is  altogether  a  good  and  God- 
worthy  constitution  of  things  which  connects  the  blessing  of 
pardon  with  the  sacrificial  death  of  Him  through  whom  it 
comes  to  us.  It  is  good  in  the  interests  of  righteousness  : 
for  it  provides  that  sin  shall  not  be  pardoned  till  it  has  been 
adequately  atoned  for  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  sinner's  Friend  ; 
and  it  is  just  and  right  that  without  the  shedding  of  the 
Righteous  One's  blood  there  should  be  no  remission  for  the 
unrighteous.  Then  this  economy  serves  well  the  interest  of 
divine  love,  as  it  gives  that  love  a  worthy  career,  and  free 
scope  to  display  its  magnanimous  nature,  in  bearing  the 
burden  of  the  sinful  and  the  miserable.  And  yet  once  more, 
the  constitution  of  the  new  covenant  is  admirably  adapted  to 
the  great  practical  end  aimed  at  by  the  scheme  of  redemption, 
viz.  the  elevation  of  a  fallen,  degraded  race  out  of  a  state  of 
corruption  into  a  state  of  holiness.  The  gospel  of  forgiveness 
through  Christ's  death  is  the  moral  power  of  God  to  raise 
such  as  believe  it  out  of  the  world's  selfishness,  and  enmities, 
and  baseness,  into  a  celestial  life  of  devotion,  self-sacrifice, 
patience,  and  humility.  If  by  faith  in  Christ  be  understood 
merely  belief  in  the  opus  operatmn  of  a  vicarious  death,  the 
power  of  such  a  faith  to  elevate  is  more  than  questionable. 
But  when  faith  is  taken  in  its  true  scriptural  sense,  as  implying 


362  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

not  only  belief  in  a  certain  transaction,  the  endurance  of 
death  by  one  for  others,  but  also,  and  more  especially, 
hearty  appreciation  of  the  spirit  of  the  deed  and  the  Doer, 
then  its  purifying  and  ennobling  power  is  beyond  all  question. 
"  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  me  ; "  and  "  I  am  crucified 
with  Christ,"  as  the  result  of  such  faith. 

How  poor  is  the  Socinian  scheme  of  salvation  in  comparison 
with  this  of  the  new  covenant !  In  that  scheme  pardon  has 
no  real  dependence  on  the  blood  of  Jesus  :  He  died  as  a 
martyr  for  righteousness,  not  as  a  Redeemer  for  the  unright- 
eous. We  are  forgiven  on  repenting  by  a  simple  word  of 
God.  Forgiveness  cost  the  Forgiver  no  trouble  or  sacrifice  ; 
only  a  word,  or  stroke  of  the  pen  signing  a  document,  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord."  What  a  frigid  transaction !  What  cold 
relations  it  implies  between  the  Deity  and  His  creatures  ! 
How  vastly  preferable  a  forgiveness  which  means  a  giving 
for,"  and  costs  the  Forgiver  sorrow,  sweat,  pain,  blood,  wounds, 
death — a  forgiveness  coming  from  a  God  who  says  in  effect: 
"  I  will  not,  to  save  sinners,  repeal  the  law  which  connects 
sin  with  death  as  its  penalty ;  but  I  am  willing  for  that  end 
to  become  myself  the  law's  victim."  Such  a  forgiveness  is 
at  once  an  act  of  righteousness  and  an  act  of  marvellous  love  ; 
whereas  forgiveness  without  satisfaction,  though  at  first  sight 
it  may  appear  both  rational  and  generous,  manifests  neither 
God's  righteousness  nor  His  love.  A  Socinian  God,  who 
pardons  without  atonement,  is  destitute  alike  of  a  passionate 
abhorrence  of  sin  and  of  a  passionate  love  to  sinners. 

Jesus  once  said,  "  He  loveth  much  who  hath  much  forgiven 
him."  It  is  a  deep  truth,  but  there  is  another  not  less  deep 
to  be  put  alongside  of  it :  we  must  feel  that  our  forgiveness 
has  cost  the  Forgiver  much  in  order  to  love  Him  much.  It 
is  because  they  feel  this  that  true  professors  of  the  catholic 
faith  exhibit  that  passionate  devotion  to  Christ  which  forms 
such  a  contrast  to  the  cold  intellectual  homage  paid  by  the 
Deist  to  his  God.  When  the  catholic  Christian  thinks  of 
the  tears,  agonies,  bloody  sweat,  shame,  and  pain  endured 
by  the  Redeemer,  of  His  marred  vision,  broken  heart,  pierced 
side,  lacerated  hands  and  feet,  his  bosom  burns  with  devoted 
love.     The  story  of  the  passion  opens  all  the  fountains  of 

1  This  idea  is  well  put  in  Bushnell's  Vicarious  Sacrifice. 


In  Mejnoriam.  363 

feeling ;  and  by  no  other  way  than  the  via  doloivsa  could 
Jesus  have  ascended  the  throne  of  His  people's  hearts. 

The  new  covenant  inaugurated  by  Christ's  death  is  sure 
as  well  as  orderly.  It.  is  reliably  sealed  by  the  blood  of  the 
Testator.  For,  first,  what  better  guarantee  can  we  have  of 
the  good-will  of  God  .-'  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this, 
that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends."  "  Hereby 
perceive  we  the  love  of  God,  because  He  laid  down  His  life 
for  us."  Looking  at  the  matter  in  the  light  of  justice,  again, 
this  covenant  is  equally  sure.  God  is  not  unrighteous,  to 
forget  His  Son's  labor  of  love.  As  He  is  true,  Christ  shall 
see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul.  It  cannot  be  otherwise  under 
the  moral  administration  of  Jehovah.  Can  the  God  of  truth 
break  His  word .''  Can  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  permit 
one,  and  especially  His  own  Son,  to  give  Himself  up,  out  of 
purest  love,  to  sorrow,  and  pain,  and  shame,  for  His  brethren, 
without  receiving  the  hire  which  He  desires,  and  which  was 
promised  Him  —  many  souls,  many  lives,  many  sinners  saved .'' 
Think  of  it :  holiness  suffering  for  righteousness'  sake,  and 
yet  not  having  the  consolation  of  doing  something  in  the 
way  of  destroying  unrighteousness,  and  turning  the  disobe- 
dient to  the  obedience  of  the  just  ;  love,  by  the  impulse  of 
its  nature,  and  by  covenant  obligations,  laid  under  a  necessity 
of  laboring  for  the  lost,  and  yet  doomed  by  the  untowardness, 
or  apathy,  or  faithlessness  of  the  Governor  of  the  universe 
to  go  unrewarded  ;  —  love's  labor  lost,  nobody  the  better  for 
it,  things  remaining  as  before  :  no  sinner  pardoned,  delivered 
from  the  pit  and  restored  to  holiness ;  no  chosen  people 
brought  out  of  darkness  into  marvellous  light !  Such  a  state 
of  things  cannot  be  in  God's  dominions.  The  government  of 
God  is  carried  on  in  the  interest  of  Holy  Love.  It  gives 
love  free  scope  to  bear  others'  burdens  :  it  arranges  that  if 
she  will  do  so,  she  shall  feel  the  full  weight  of  the  burden  she 
takes  upon  her ;  but  it  also  arranges,  by  an  eternal  covenant 
of  truth  and  equity,  that  when  the  burden  has  been  borne, 
the  Burden-bearer  shall  receive  His  reward  in  the  form  He 
likes  best  —  in  souls  washed,  pardoned,  sanctified,  and  led 
to  everlasting  glory  by  Himself  as  His  ransomed  brethren  or 
children. 

The  principle  of  vicarious  merit  involved  in  the  doctrine 


364  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

that  we  are  pardoned  simply  because  Christ  died  for  our  sins, 
when  looked  at  with  unprejudiced  eyes,  commends  itself  to 
reason  as  well  as  to  the  heart.  It  means  practically  a  premium 
held  out  to  foster  righteousness  and  love.  This  offered 
premium  carried  Jesus  through  His  heavy  task.  It  was 
because,  relying  on  His  Father's  promise,  He  saw  the  certain 
joy  of  saving  many  before  Him,  that  He  endured  the  cross. 
It  is  the  same  principle,  in  a  restricted  application  of  it,  which 
stimulates  Christians  to  fill  up  that  which  is  behind  of  the 
sufferings  of  their  Lord.  They  know  that,  if  they  be  faithful, 
they  shall  not  live  unto  themselves,  but  shall  benefit  Christ's 
mystic  body  the  church,  and  also  the  world  at  large.  If  the 
fact  were  otherwise,  there  would  be  very  little  either  of  moral 
fidelity  or  of  love  in  the  world.  If  the  moral  government 
of  the  universe  made  it  impossible  for  one  being  to  benefit 
another  by  prayer  or  loving  pains,  impossible  for  ten  good 
men  to  be  a  shield  to  Sodom,  for  the  elect  to  be  a  salt  to  the 
earth,  men  would  give  up  trying  to  do  it ;  generous  concern 
about  public  wellbeing  would  cease,  and  universal  selfishness 
become  the  order  of  the  day.  Or  if  this  state  of  things 
should  not  ensue,  we  should  only  have  darkness  in  a  worse 
form  :  the  inscrutable  enigma  of  Righteousness  crucified 
without  benefit  to  any  living  creature, — a  scandal  and  a 
reproach  to  the  government  and  character  of  God.  If,  there- 
fore, we  are  to  hold  fast  our  faith  in  the  divine  holiness, 
justice,  goodness,  and  truth,  we  must  believe  that  the  blood 
of  Jesus  doth  most  certainly  procure  for  us  the  remission  of 
sins ;  and  likewise,  that  the  blood  of  His  saints,  though 
neither  available  nor  necessary  to  obtain  for  sinners  the 
blessing  of  pardon  before  the  divine  tribunal  —  Christ's  blood 
alone  being  capable  of  rendering  us  that  service,  and  having 
rendered  it  effectually  and  once  for  all  —  is  nevertheless 
precious  in  God's  sight,  and  makes  the  people  precious 
among  whom  it  is  shed,  and  is  by  God's  appointment,  in 
manifold  ways,  a  source  of  blessing  unto  a  world  unworthy 
to  number  among  its  inhabitants  men  whom  it  knows  not 
how  to  use  otherwise  than  as  lambs  for  the  slaughter. 

4.  The  sacrament  of  the  Supper  exhibits  Christ  not  merely 
as  a  Lamb  to  be  slain  for  a  sin-offering,  but  as  a  Paschal 
Lamb  to  be  eaten  for  spiritual   nourishment.     "Take,  eat, 


In  Mentor iam.  365 

this  is  my  body."  By  this  injunction  Jesus  taught  the 
twelve,  and  through  them  all  Christians,  to  regard  His  cruci- 
fied humanity  as  the  bread  of  God  for  the  life  of  their  souls. 
We  must  eat  the  flesh  and  drink  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  man 
spiritually  by  faith,  as  we  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the  wine 
literally  with  the  mouth. 

In  regarding  Christ  as  the  Bread  of  Life,  we  are  not  to 
restrict  ourselves  to  the  one  benefit  mentioned  by  Him 
in  instituting  the  feast,  the  remission  of  sins,  but  to  have  in 
view  all  His  benefits  tending  to  our  spiritual  nourishment 
and  growth  in  grace.  Christ  is  the  Bread  of  Life  in  all  His 
offices.  As  a  Prophet,  He  supplies  the  bread  of  divine  truth 
to  feed  our  minds  ;  as  a  Priest,  He  furnishes  the  bread  of 
righteousness  to  satisfy  our  troubled  consciences  ;  as  a  King, 
He  presents  Himself  to  us  as  an  object  of  devotion,  that 
shall  fill  our  hearts,  and  whom  we  may  worship  without  fear 
of  idolatry. 

As  often  as  the  Lord's  Supper  is  celebrated  we  are  invited 
to  contemplate  Christ  as  the  food  of  our  souls  in  this 
comprehensive  sense.  As  often  as  we  eat  the  bread  and 
drink  the  cup  we  declare  that  Christ  has  been,  and  is  now, 
our  soul's  food  in  all  these  ways.  And  as  often  as  we  use 
this  Supper  with  sincerity  we  are  helped  to  appropriate 
Christ  as  our  spiritual  food  more  and  more  abundantly. 
Even  as  a  symbol  or  picture  —  mysticism  and  magic  apart  — 
the  Holy  Supper  aids  our  faith.  Through  the  eye  it  affects 
the  heart,  as  do  poetry  and  music  through  the  ear.  The 
very  mysticism  and  superstition  that  have  grown  around 
the  sacraments  in  the  course  of  ages  are  a  witness  to  their 
powerful  influence  over  the  imagination.  Men's  thoughts 
and  feelings  were  so  deeply  stirred  they  could  not  believe 
such  power  lay  in  mere  symbols  ;  and  by  a  confusion  of  ideas 
natural  to  an  excited  imagination  they  imputed  to  the  sign 
all  the  virtues  of  the  things  signified.  By  this  means  faith 
was  transferred  from  Christ  the  Redeemer,  and  the  Spirit 
the  Sanctifier,  to  the  rite  of  baptism  and  the  service  of 
the  mass.  This  result  shows  the  need  of  knowledge  and 
spiritual  discernment  to  keep  the  imagination  in  check, 
and  prevent  the  eyes  of  the  understanding  from  being  put 
out  by  the  dazzling  glare  of  fancy.     Some,  considering  how 


366  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

thoroughly  the  eyes  of  the  understanding  have  been  put  out 
by  theories  of  sacramental  grace,  have  been  tempted  to  deny 
that  sacraments  are  even  means  of  grace,  and  to  think  that 
institutions  which  have  been  so  fearfully  abused  ought  to  be 
allowed  to  fall  into  desuetude.  This  is  a  natural  re-action, 
but  it  is  an  extreme  opinion.  The  sober,  true  view  of  the 
matter  is,  that  sacraments  are  means  of  grace,  not  from  any 
magic  virtue  in  them  or  in  the  priest  administering  them, 
but  as  helping  faith  by  sense,  and  still  more  by  the  blessing 
of  Christ  and  the  working  of  His  Spirit,  as  the  reward  of  an 
intelligent,  sincere,  believing  use  of  them. 

This,  then,  is  what  we  have  learned  from  the  monumental 
stone.  The  Lord's  Supper  commemorates  the  Lord's  ^^w//// 
points  out  that  death  as  an  event  of  transcendent  impor- 
tance ;  sets  it  forth,  indeed,  as  the  ground  of  our  hope  for 
the  pardon  of  sin  ;  and  finally  exhibits  Christ  the  Lord,  who 
died  on  the  Cross,  as  all  to  us  which  our  spirits  need  for 
health  and  salvation  —  our  mystic  bread  and  wine.  This 
rite,  instituted  by  Jesus  on  the  night  on  which  He  was 
betrayed.  He  meant  to  be  repeated  not  merely  by  the 
apostles,  but  by  His  believing  people  in  all  ages  till  He  came 
again.  So  we  learn  from  Paul ;  so  we  might  have  inferred, 
apart  from  any  express  information.  An  act  so  original,  so 
impressive,  so  pregnant  with  meaning,  so  helpful  to  faith, 
once  performed,  was  virtually  an  enactment.  In  performing 
it,  Jesus  said  in  effect  :  "  Let  this  become  a  great  institution, 
a  standing  observance  in  the  community  to  be  called  by  my 
Name." 

The  meaning  of  the  ordinance  determines  the  spirit  in 
which  it  should  be  observed.  Christians  should  sit  down  at 
the  table  in  a  spirit  of  humility,  thankfulness,  and  brotherly 
love  ;  confessing  sin,  devoutly  thanking  God  for  His  covenant 
of  grace,  and  His  mercy  to  them  in  Christ,  loving  Him  who 
loved  them,  and  washed  them  from  their  sins  in  His  own  blood, 
and  who  daily  feedeth  their  souls  with  heavenly  food,  and 
giving  Him  all  glory  and  dominion  ;  and  loving  one  another 
—  loving  all  redeemed  men  and  believers  in  Jesus  as 
brethren,  and  taking  the  Supper  together  as  a  family 
meal ;  withal  praying  that  an  ever-increasing  number  may 
experience  the  saving  efficacy  of  Christ's  death.     After  this 


In  Memoriam,  367 

fashion  did  the  apostles  and  the  apostolic  church  celebrate 
the  Supper  at  Pentecost,  after  Jesus  had  ascended  to  glory. 
Continuing  daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  break- 
ing bread  from  house  to  house,  they  did  eat  their  meat  with 
gladness  and  singleness  of  heart.  Would  that  we  now  could 
keep  the  feast  as  they  kept  it  then  !  But  how  much  must  be 
done  ere  that  be  possible  !  The  moss  of  Time  must  be  cleared 
away  from  the  monumental  stone,  that  its  inscription  may 
become  once  more  distinctly  legible  ;  the  accumulated  debris 
of  a  millennium  and  a  half  of  theological  controversies  about 
sacraments  must  be  carted  out  of  sight  and  mind  ;'  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus  must  be  separated  from  the  alloy  of  human 
error ;  the  homely  rite  of  the  Supper  must  be  divested  of  the 
state  robes  of  elaborate  ceremonial  by  which  it  has  been 
all  but  stifled,  and  allowed  to  return  to  congenial  primitive 
simplicity.  These  things,  so  devoutly  to  be  wished,  will 
come  at  last,  —  if  not  on  earth,  in  that  day  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  will  drink  new  wine  with  His  people  in  the  kingdom 
of  His  Father.^ 

*  The  history  of  these  contioversies  is  very  humiliating,  and  their  consequences  most 
disastrous.  Through  them  the  symbol  of  union  has  been  turned  into  a  cliief  cause  of 
division.  The  church  has  remembered  her  Lord,  and  obeyed  His  commandment  of  love, 
as  members  of  families  sometime  remember  a  deceased  parent,  casting  angry  glances  at 
each  other  across  his  grave,  and  retiring  to  the  house,  whose  head  they  have  buried,  to 
squabble  about  the  meaning  of  his  will. 

^  We  may  here  note  the  jnomenta  of  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  as  set  forth  in  the  four 
lessons  given  by  Jesus  to  His  disciples,  in  order  to  bring  them  together  in  one  view. 
They  are  these  :  — 

1.  First  Lesson.  —  Christ  suffered  for  righteousness'  sake:  herein  an  example  to  all 

His  followers  (Matt.  xvi.  24-28,  et  farall.  vide  p.  1S3). 

2.  Second  Lesson.  —  Christ  suffered  for  the  unrighteous  —  gave  His  life  a  ransom 

for  the  sinful:  herein  our  example  so  far  as  He  stooped  to  conquer  (Matt.  xx. 
28,  vide  p.  291). 

3.  Third  Lesson.  —  Christ  suffered  in  the  spirit  of  self-sacrificing  love,  exemplified 

by  Mary  of  Bethany  (Matt.  xxvi.  6-13,  et  farall.  vide  p.  301). 

4.  Fourth  Lesson.  —  Christ  suffered  to  inaugurate  a  new  covenant  of  grace,  and 

procure  for  sinners  the  forgiveness  of  sin  (Matt.  xxvi.  26-29,  et  farall.  vide 
p.  360). 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

JUDAS   ISCARIOT. 
Matt.  xxvL  20-23 ;  Mark  xiv.  17-21 ;  Luke  xxii.  21-23  ;  John  xiii.  21-30. 

Besides  the  feet-washing  and  the  institution  of  the 
Supper,  yet  another  scene  occurred  on  the  night  preceding 
the  Lord's  death,  helping  to  render  it  forever  memorable.  On 
the  same  night,  during  the  course  of  the  evening  meal,'  Jesus 
exposed  and  expelled  the  false  disciple,  who  had  undertaken 
to  deliver  his  Master  into  the  hands  of  those  who  sought  His 
life.  Already,  while  occupied  with  the  washing.  He  had 
made  premonitory  allusions  to  the  fact  that  there  was  a 
traitor  among  the  twelve,  hinting  that  they  were  not  all 
clean,  and  insinuating  that  there  was  one  of  them  who  knetv 
and  would  not  do.  Having  finished  and  explained  the  service 
of  lowly  love,  He  next  proceeded  to  the  unwelcome  task  of 
indicating  distinctly  to  which  of  the  disciples  He  had  been 
alluding.  With  spirit  troubled  at  thought  of  the  painful 
duty,  and  shuddering  in  presence  of  such  satanic  wickedness, 
He  introduced  the  subject  by  making  the  general  announce- 
ment :  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of  you  shall 
betray  me."  Thereafter,  in  answer  to  inquiries.  He  indicated 
the  particular  individual,  by  explaining  that  the  traitor  was 
he  to  whom  He  should  give  a  sop  or  morsel  after  He  had 
dipped  it.^ 

The  fact  then  announced  was  new  to  the  disciples,  but  it 
was  not  new  to  their  Master.  Jesus  had  known  all  along 
that  there  was  a  traitor  in  the  camp.     He  had  even  hinted  as 

'  Whether  before  or  after  the  institution  of  the  Supper  has  been  much  discussed,  and 
is  of  no  theological  importance,  though  it  has  been  thought  to  be  so  in  connection  with 
the  question  of  strict  communion. 

2  On  the  harmony  of  this  subject,  see  Ebrard,  Gospel  History ;  and  also  Stier,  Rcden 
Jesu,  who  reconciles  the  Synoptics  with  John  by  supposing  two  announcements  of  the 
traitor,  with  the  Lord's  Supper  intervening,  which  he  brings  in  between  vers.  22  and  23 
of  John's  narrative. 

368 


Judas  Iscariot.  369 

much  a  full  year  before.  But,  excepting  on  that  one  occasion, 
He  had  not  spoken  of  the  matter  hitherto,  but  had  patiently- 
borne  it  as  a  secret  burden  on  His  own  heart.  Now,  how- 
ever, the  secret  may  be  hid  no  longer.  The  hour  is  come 
when  the  Son  of  man  must  be  glorified.  Judas,  for  his  part, 
has  made  up  his  mind  to  be  the  instrument  of  betraying  his 
Lord  to  death  ;  and  such  bad  work,  once  resolved  on,  should 
by  all  means  be  done  without  delay.  Then  Jesus  wants  to 
be  rid  of  the  false  disciple's  company.  He  desires  to  spend 
the  few  last  hours  of  His  life  in  tender,  confidential  fellow- 
ship with  His  faithful  ones,  free  from  the  irritation  and 
distraction  caused  by  the  presence  of  an  undeclared  yet 
deadly  enemy.  Therefore  He  does  not  wait  till  it  pleases 
Judas  to  depart ;  He  bids  him  go,  asserting  His  authority 
over  him  even  after  he  has  renounced  his  allegiance  and 
given  himself  up  to  the  devil's  service.  Reaching  the  sop, 
He  says  to  him  in  effect :  "  I  know  thee,  Judas  ;  thou  art 
the  man  :  thou  hast  resolved  to  betray  me  :  away,  then,  and 
do  it."  And  then  He  says  expressly:  "That  thou  doest,  do 
quickly."     It  was  an  order  to  go,  and  go  at  once. 

Judas  took  the  hint.  He  "  went  immediately  out"  and  so 
finally  quitted  the  society  of  which  he  had  been  an  unworthy 
member.  One  wonders  how  such  a  man  ever  got  in,  —  how  he 
ever  was  admitted  into  such  a  holy  fellowship, — how  he  came 
to  be  chosen  one  of  the  twelve.  Did  Jesus  not  know  the  real 
character  of  this  man  when  He  chose  Him  }  The  words  of 
our  Lord,  spoken  just  before,  forbid  us  to  think  this.  "I 
know,"  said  He,  while  expounding  the  feet-washing,  "whom 
I  have  chosen,"  meaning,  evidently,  to  claim  knowledge  of 
them  all,  Judas  included,  at  the  time  He  chose  them.  Did 
He  then  choose  Judas,  knowing  what  he  was,  that  He  might 
have  among  the  twelve  one  by  whom  He  might  be  betrayed, 
and  the  Scriptures  in  that  particular  be  fulfilled  }  So  He 
seems  to  hint  in  the  declaration  just  alluded  to  ;  for  He  goes 
on  to  say  :  "  But  that  the  scripture  may  be  fulfilled.  He  that 
eateth  bread  with  me  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me."  ' 
But  it  is  not  credible  that  Iscariot  was  chosen  merely  to  be 
a  traitor,  as  an  actor  might  be  chosen  by  a  theatre  manager 
to  play  the  part  of  lago.     The  end  pointed  at  in  the  scripture 

•  John  xiiL  i8. 


370  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

quoted  might  be  ultimately  served  by  his  being  chosen,  but 
that  end  was  not  the  motive  of  the  choice.  We  may  regard 
these  two  points  as  certain  :  on  the  one  hand,  that  Judas  did 
not  become  a  follower  of  Jesus  with  treacherous  intentions  ; 
and  on  the  other,  that  Jesus  did  not  elect  Judas  to  be  one  of 
the  twelve  because  He  foreknew  that  he  would  eventually 
become  a  traitor. 

If  the  choice  of  the  false  disciple  was  not  due  either  to 
ignorance  or  to  foreknowledge,  how  is  it  to  be  explained.-' 
The  only  explanation  that  can  be  given  is,  that,  apart  from 
secret  insight,  Judas  was  to  all  appearance  an  eligible  man, 
and  could  not  be  passed  over  on  any  grounds  coming  under 
ordinary  observation.  His  qualities  must  have  been  such, 
that  one  not  possessing  the  eye  of  ■  omniscience,  looking  on 
him,  would  have  been  disposed  to  say  of  him  what  Samuel 
said  of  Eliab :  "Surely  the  Lord's  anointed  is  before  him."  ' 
In  that  case,  his  election  by  Jesus  is  perfectly  intelligible. 
The  Head  of  the  church  simply  did  what  the  church  has  to 
do  in  analogous  instances.  The  church  chooses  men  to  fill 
sacred  offices  on  a  conjunct  view  of  ostensible  qualifications, 
such  as  knowledge,  zeal,  apparent  piety,  and  correctness  of 
outward  conduct.  In  so  doing  she  sometimes  makes  unhappy 
appointments,  and  confers  dignity  on  persons  of  the  Judas 
type,  who  dishonor  the  positions  they  fill.  The  mischief 
resulting  is  great ;  but  Christ  has  taught  us,  by  His  example 
in  choosing  Judas,  as  also  by  the  parable  of  the  tares,  that 
we  must  submit  to  the  evil,  and  leave  the  remedy  in  higher 
hands.  Out  of  evil  God  often  brings  good,  as  He  did  in  the 
case  of  the  traitor. 

Supposing  Judas  to  have  been  chosen  to  the  apostleship 
on  the  ground  of  apparent  fitness,  what  manner  of  man  would 
that  imply .''  A  vulgar,  conscious  hypocrite,  seeking  some 
mean  by-end,  while  professedly  aiming  at  a  higher.?  Not 
necessarily ;  not  probably.  Rather  such  an  one  as  Jesus 
indirectly  described  Judas  to  be  when  He  made  the  reflection  : 
"  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them."  The 
false  disciple  was  a  sentimental,  plausible,  self-deceived 
pietist,  who  knew  and  approved  the  good,  though  not  consci- 
entiously practising  it ;  one  who,  in  aesthetic  feeling,  in  fancy, 

'  I  Sam.  xvi.  6. 


Judas  Iscariot.  371 

and  in  intellect,  had  affinities  for  the  noble  and  the  holy, 
while  in  will  and  in  conduct  he  was  the  slave  of  base,  selfish 
passions  ;  one  who,  in  the  last  resource,  would  always  put 
self  uppermost,  yet  could  zealously  devote  himself  to  well- 
doing when  personal  interests  were  not  compromised  —  in 
short,  what  the  Apostle  James  calls  a  two-minded  man.'  In 
thus  describing  Judas,  we  draw  not  the  picture  of  a  solitary 
monster.  Men  of  such  a  type  are  by  no  means  so  rare  as 
some  may  imagine.  History,  sacred  and  profane,  supplies 
numerous  examples  of  them,  playing  an  important  part  in 
human  affairs.  Balaam,  who  had  the  vision  of  a  prophet 
and  the  soul  of  a  miser,  was  such  a  man.  Robespierre,  the 
evil  genius  of  the  French  Revolution,  was  another.  The 
man  who  sent  thousands  to  the  guillotine  had  in  his  younger 
days  resigned  his  office  as  a  provincial  judge,  because  it  was 
against  his  conscience  to  pronounce  sentence  of  death  on  a 
culprit  found  guilty  of  a  capital  offence.^  A  third  example, 
more  remarkable  than  either,  may  be  found  in  the  famous 
Greek  Alcibiades,  who,  to  unbounded  ambition,  unscrupulous- 
ness,  and  licentiousness,  united  a  warm  attachment  to  the 
greatest  and  best  of  the  Greeks.  The  man  who  in  after 
years  betrayed  the  cause  of  his  native  city,  and  went  over  to 
the  side  of  her  enemies,  was  in  his  youth  an  enthusiastic 
admirer  and  disciple  of  Socrates.  How  he  felt  towards  the 
Athenian  sage  may  be  gathered  from  words  put  into  his 
mouth  by  Plato  in  one  of  his  dialogues  —  words  which  invol- 
untarily suggest  a  parallel  between  the  speaker  and  the 
unworthy  follower  of  a  greater  than  Socrates  :  "  I  experience 
towards  this  man  alone  (Socrates)  what  no  one  would  believe 
me  capable  of,  a  sense  of  shame.  For  I  am  conscious  of  an 
inability  to  contradict  him,  and  decline  to  do  what  he  bids 
me ;  and  when  I  go  away  I  feel  myself  overcome  by  the 
desire  of  popular  esteem.  Therefore  I  flee  from  him,  and 
avoid  him.  But  when  I  see  him,  I  am  ashamed  of  my  admis- 
sions, and  oftentimes  I  would  be  glad  if  he  ceased  to  exist 
among  the  living ;  and  yet  I  know  well,  that  were  that  to 
happen,  I  should  be  still  more  grieved.  "^ 

'  Jas.  i.  8,  ilrrjp  6ti/;vxo?;  that  is,  a  man  with  two  minds;  not  one  real,  the  other 
feigned,  but  witli  two  minds  both  real  so  far  as  they  go,  only  the  wrong  mind  strongest, 
and  ultimately  prevailing. 

^  Carlyle,  French  Revolution,  i.  170,  171. 

3  Plato,  2u/iin-d<7io»' :  Alcibiades  loquitur. 


372  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

The  character  of  Judas  being  such  as  we  have  described, 
the  possibility  at  least  of  his  turning  a  traitor  becomes 
comprehensible.  One  who  loves  himself  more  than  any 
man,  however  good,  or  any  cause,  however  holy,  is  always 
capable  of  bad  faith  more  or  less  heinous.  He  is  a  traitor 
at  heart  from  the  outset,  and  all  that  is  wanted  is  a  set  of 
circumstances  calculated  to  bring  into  play  the  evil  elements 
of  his  nature.  The  question  therefore  arises,  What  were 
the  circumstances  which  converted  Judas  from  a  possible 
into  an  actual  traitor  } 

This  is  a  question  very  hard  indeed  to  answer.  The  crime 
committed  by  Iscariot,  through  which  he  has  earned  for 
himself  "a  frightful  renown,"  remains,  in  spite  of  all  the 
discussion  whereof  it  has  been  the  subject,  still  mysterious 
and  unaccountable.  Many  attempts  have  been  made  to 
assign  probable  motives  for  the  nefarious  deed,  some  tending 
to  excuse  the  doer,  and  others  to  aggravate  his  guilt ;  all 
more  or  less  conjectural,  and  none  perfectly  satisfactory. 
As  for  the  Gospel  narratives,  they  do  not  explain,  but  merely 
record,  the  wickedness  of  Judas.  The  synoptical  evangel- 
ists do  indeed  mention  that  the  traitor  made  a  bargain  with 
the  priests,  and  received  from  them  a  sum  of  money  for  the 
service  rendered  ;  and  John,  in  his  narrative  of  the  anoint- 
ing at  Bethany,  takes  occasion  to  state  that  the  faultfinding 
disciple  was  a  thief,  appropriating  to  his  own  uses  money 
out  of  the  common  purse,  of  which  he  had  charge.'  These 
facts,  of  course,  show  Iscariot  to  have  been  a  covetous  man. 
None  but  a  man  of  greedy,  covetous  spirit  could  have  taken 
money  for  such  a  service.  A  vindictive  man,  whose  vanity 
had  been  wounded,  or  who  fancied  himself  in  some  way 
wronged,  might  play  the  traitor  for  love  of  revenge,  but  he 
would  scorn  to  be  paid  for  his  work.  The  petty  pilfering 
from  the  bag  was  also  a  sure  sign  of  a  mean,  sordid  soul. 
Perhaps  the  very  fact  of  his  being  the  purse-bearer  to  the 
company  of  Jesus  may  be  regarded  as  an  indication  that  his 
heart  hankered  after  greed.  He  got  the  bag  to  carry,  we 
imagine,  because  the  other  disciples  were  all  supremely 
careless  about  money  matters,  while  he  had  decided  proclivi- 
ties towards  finance,  and  showed  a  desire  to  have  charge  of 

'  John  xii.  6. 


Judas  Iscariot.  373 

the  superfluous  funds.  All  the  rest  would  be  only  too  glad 
to  find  a  brother  willing  to  take  the  trouble  ;  and  having 
imbibed  the  spirit  of  their  Master's  precept,  Take  no  thought 
for  the  morrow,  they  would  not  think  of  presenting  them- 
selves as  rival  candidates  for  the  office. 

The  evangelists  do  therefore  most  distinctly  represent 
Judas  as  a  covetous  man.  But  they  do  not  represent  his 
covetousness  as  the  sole,  or  even  as  the  principal,  motive  of 
his  crime.  That,  indeed,  it  can  hardly  have  been.  For,  in 
the  first  place,  would  it  not  have  been  a  better  speculation  to 
have  continued  pursebearer,  with  facilities  for  appropriating 
its  contents,  than  to  sell  his  Master  for  a  paltry  sum  not 
exceeding  five  pounds } '  Then  what  could  induce  a  man 
whose  chief  and  ruling  passion  was  to  amass  money  to 
become  a  disciple  of  Jesus  at  all  .'*  Surely  following  Him 
who  had  no  place  where  to  lay  His  head  was  not  a  likely 
way  to  money-making  !  Then,  finally,  how  account  for  the 
repentance  of  the  traitor,  so  great  in  its  vehemence,  though 
most  unholy  in  its  nature,  on  the  hypothesis  that  his  sole 
object  was  to  gain  a  few  pieces  of  silver  .-'  Avarice  may 
make  a  man  of  splendid  talents  thoroughly  mercenary  and 
unscrupulous,  as  is  said  to  have  been  the  case  with  the 
famous  Duke  of  Marlborough  ;  but  it  is  rarely,  indeed,  that  a 
man  given  up  to  avaricious  habits  takes  seriously  to  heart  the 
crimes  committed  under  their  influence.  It  is  the  nature  of 
avarice  to  destroy  conscience,  and  to  make  all  things,  however 
sacred,  venal.  Whence,  then,  that  mighty  volcanic  upheav- 
ing in  the  breast  of  Judas .-'  Surely  other  passions  were  at 
work  in  his  soul  when  he  sold  his  Lord  than  the  cold  and 
hardening  love  of  gain  ! 

Pressed  by  this  difficulty,  some  have  suggested  that,  in 
betraying  Jesus,  Judas  was  actuated  principally  by  feelings 
of  jealousy  or  spite,  arising  out  of  internal  dissensions  or 
imagined  injuries.  This  suggestion  is  in  itself  not  improbable. 
Offences  might  very  easily  come  from  various  sources.  The 
mere  fact  that  Judas  was  not  a  Galilean,^  but  a  native  of 
another  province,  might  give  rise  to  misunderstanding. 
Human  sympathies  and  antipathies  depend  on  very  little 
things.     Kinsmanship,  a  common  name,  or  a  common  birth- 

*  Renan,  Vie  de  Jesus,  p.  394.  '  Vide  cap.  iv. 


374  ^'^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

place,  have  far  more  power  than  the  grand  bonds  which 
connect  us  with  all  the  race.  In  religion  the  same  remark 
holds  good.  The  ties  of  a  common  Lord,  a  common  hope, 
and  a  common  spiritual  life,  are  feeble  as  compared  with  those 
of  sect  and  sectional  religious  custom  and  opinion.  Then 
who  knows  what  offences  sprang  from  those  disputes  among 
the  disciples  who  should  be  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  } 
What  if  the  man  of  Kerioth  had  been  made  to  feel  that, 
whoever  was  to  be  the  greatest,  he  at  least  had  no  chance, 
not  being  a  Galilean  .''  The  mean,  narrow  habits  of  Judas 
as  treasurer  would  be  a  third  cause  of  bad  feeling  in  the 
apostolic  company.  Supposing  his  dishonesty  to  have  escaped 
observation,  his  tendency  to  put  the  interest  of  the  bag  above 
the  objects  for  which  its  contents  were  destined,  and  so  to 
dole  out  supplies  either  for  the  company  or  for  the  poor 
grudgingly,  would  be  sure  to  be  noticed,  and,  being  noticed, 
would  certainly,  in  such  an  outspoken  society,  not  fail  to  be 
remarked  on.' 

These  reflections  show  how  ill-feeling  might  have  arisen 
between  Judas  and  his  fellow-disciples  ;  but  what  we  have  to 
account  for  is  the  hatred  of  the  false  disciple  against  his 
Master.  Had  Jesus,  then,  done  any  thing  to  offend  the  man 
by  whom  He  was  betrayed  .'*  Yes  !  He  had  seen  through 
him,  and  that  was  offence  enough !  For,  of  course,  Judas 
knew  that  he  was  seen  through.  Men  cannot  live  together 
in  close  fellowship  long  without  coming  to  know  with  what 
feelings  they  are  regarded  by  each  other.  If  I  distrust  a 
brother,  he  will  find  it  out,  even  should  I  attempt  to  conceal 
it.  But  the  guileless  and  faithful  One  would  make  no  attempt 
at  concealment.  He  would  not,  indeed,  offensively  obtrude 
His  distrust  on  the  notice  of  Judas,  but  neither  would  He 
studiously  hide  it,  to  make  matters  go  smoothly  between  them. 
He  who  so  faithfully  corrected  the  faults  of  the  other  disciples 
would  do  His  duty  to  this  one  also,  and  make  him  aware  that 

'  Renan,  Vie  de  Jesus,  p.  395. 

The  poor  were  not  forgotten  by  Jesus  and  His  disciples  (John  xii.  5,  xiii.  29).  When 
supplies  overflowed,  they  were  not  hoarded  for  to-morrow,  but  for  the  destitute.  Tliat 
they  had  more  than  they  needed  was  the  result  of  the  love  of  grateful  souls  (Luke  viii. 
1-3),  and  the  bag  was  kept  that  nothing  might  be  wasted;  for  the  ethics  of  Jesus 
condemn  waste  as  strongly  as  they  discountenance  carefulness.  "  Gather  up  the 
fragments,"  etc. 


Judas  I  scar  lot.  375 

he  regarded  his  spirit  and  evil  habits  with  disapprobation,  in 
order  to  bring  him  to  repentance.  And  what  the  effect  of 
such  dealing  would  be  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine.  On  a 
Peter,  correction  had  a  most  wholesome  influence  ;  it  brought 
him  at  once  to  a  right  mind.  In  the  case  of  a  Judas  the 
result  would  be  very  different.  The  mere  consciousness  that 
Jesus  did  not  think  well  of  him,  and  still  more  the  shame  of 
an  open  rebuke,  would  breed  sullen  resentment  and  ever- 
deepening  alienation  of  heart  ;  till  at  length  love  was  turned 
to  hatred,  and  the  impenitent  disciple  began  to  cherish 
vindictive  passions. 

The  manner  in  which  the  betrayal  was  gone  about  sup- 
ports the  idea  that  the  agent  was  actuated  by  malicious, 
revengeful  feelings.  Not  content  with  giving  such  infor- 
"mation  as  would  enable  the  Jewish  authorities  to  get  their 
Victim  into  their  hands,  Judas  conducted  the  band  that  was 
sent  to  apprehend  his  Master,  and  even  pointed  Him  out  to 
them  by  an  affectionate  salutation.  To  one  in  a  vengeful 
mood  that  kiss  might  be  sweet  ;  but  to  a  man  in  any  other 
mood,  even  though  he  were  a  traitor,  how  abhorrent  and 
abominable  !  The  salutation  was  entirely  gratuitous  :  it  was 
not  necessary  for  the  success  of  the  plot ;  for  the  military 
detachment  was  furnished  with  torches,  and  Judas  could 
have  indicated  Jesus  to  them  while  he  himself  kept  in  the 
background.  But  that  way  would  not  satisfy  a  bosom  friend 
turned  to  be  a  mortal  enemy.' 

Along  with  malice  and  greed,  the  instinct  of  self-preser- 
vation may  have  had  a  place  among  the  motives  of  Judas. 
Perfidy  might  be  recommended  by  the  suggestions  of  selfish 
prudence.  The  traitor  was  a  shrewd  man,  and  believed 
that  a  catastrophe  was  near.  He  understood  better  than 
his  single-minded  brethren  the  situation  of  affairs  ;  for  the 
children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  generation  than 
the  children  of  light.  The  other  disciples,  by  their  generous 
enthusiasms  and  patriotic  hopes,  were  blinded  to  the  signs 
of  the  times  ;  but  the  false  disciple,  just  because  he  was  less 
noble,  was  more  discerning.     Disaster,  then,  being  imminent, 

'  Renan,  Vie  de  yisus,  favors  the  idea  that  Judas  was  actuated  by  spite.  He 
remarlcs,  on  the  number  of  denunciators  connected  with  secret  societies :  "  Un  leger 
depit,"  he  says,  "  suffisait  pour  faire  d'un  sectaire  un  traitre  "  (p.  395). 


376  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

what  was  to  be  done  ?  What  but  turn  king's  evidence,  and 
make  terms  for  himself,  so  that  Christ's  loss  might  be  his 
gain  ?  If  this  baseness  could  be  perpetrated  under  pretence 
of  provocation,  why  then,  so  much  the  better  i 

These  observations  help  to  bring  the  crime  cf  Judas 
Iscariot  within  the  range  of  human  experience,  and  on  this 
account  it  was  worth  our  while  to  make  them  ;  for  it  is  not 
desirable  that  we  should  think  of  the  traitor  as  an  abso- 
lutely unique  character,  as  the  solitary  perfect  incarnation 
of  Satanic  wickedness.'  We  should  rather  so  think  of  his 
crime  as  that  the  effect  of  contemplating  it  on  our  minds 
shall  be  to  make  us,  like  the  disciples,  ask.  Is  it  I  ?  ^  "  Who 
can  understand  his  errors  ?  Keep  back  Thy  servant  from 
presumptuous  sins."  There  have  been  many  traitors  besides 
Judas,  who,  from  malice  or  for  gain,  have  played  false  to 
noble  men  and  noble  causes  ;  some  of  them  perhaps  even 
worse  men  than  he.  It  was  his  unenviable  distinction  to 
betray  the  most  exalted  of  all  victims  ;  but  many  who  have 
been  substantially  guilty  of  his  sin  have  not  taken  it  so 
much  to  heart,  but  have  been  able  to  live  happily  after  their 
deed  of  villany  was  wrought. 

Yet,  while  it  is  important  for  our  warning  not  to  conceive 
of  Judas  as  an  isolated  sinner,  it  is  also  most  desirable  that 
we  should  regard  his  crime  as  an  incomprehensible  mystery 
of  iniquity.  It  is  in  this  light  that  the  fourth  evangelist 
would  have  us  look  at  it.  He  could  have  told  us  much  about 
the  mutual  relations  of  Judas  and  Jesus  tending  to  explain 
the  deed  of  the  former.  But  he  has  not  chosen  to  do  so. 
The  only  explanation  he  gives  of  the  traitor's  crime  is,  that 
Satan  had  taken  possession  of  him.  This  he  mentions  twice 
over  in  one  chapter,  as  if  to  express  his  own  horror,  and  to 
awaken  similar  horror  in  his  readers.'  And  to  deepen  the 
impression,  after  relating  the  exit  of  Judas,  he  adds  the  sug- 
gestive reflection  that  it  took  place  after  nightfall :     "  He 

*  Such  is  the  view  of  Daub  in  his  Judas  Iscariot,  oder  Das  B'ose  in  Verhdltniss 
zum  Guten. 

^  The  disciples  first  trembled,  each  one  for  himself  ;  then,  after  recovering  their 
composure,  began  to  wonder  who  it  could  be  ;  and  finally,  Peter  made  a  sign  to  John, 
who  was  next  to  Jesus,  to  inquire. 

3  John  xiii.  2,  27.  Satan  entered  Judas  first  as  the  Satan  of  wicked  purpose;  then, 
after  the  sop  (Christ's  challenge  to  Judas),  as  the  Satan  of  action. 


yiidas  Is  car  lot.  2,11 

then,  having  received  the  sop,  went  immediately  out :  and  it 
was  nighty     Fit  time  for  such  an  errand  ! 

Judas  went  out  and  betrayed  his  Lord  to  death,  and  then  he 
went  and  took  his  own  Hfe.  What  a  tragic  accompaniment 
to  the  crucifixion  was  that  suicide  !  What  an  impressive 
illustration  of  the  evil  of  a  double  mind !  To  be  happy  in 
some  fashion,  Judas  should  either  have  been  a  better  man  or 
a  worse.  Had  he  been  better,  he  would  have  been  saved 
from  his  crime  ;  had  he  been  worse,  he  would  have  escaped 
torment  before  the  time.  As  it  was,  he  was  bad  enough 
to  do  the  deed  of  infamy,  and  good  enough  to  be  unable  to 
bear  the  burden  of  its  guilt.  Woe  to  such  a  man  !  Better 
for  him,  indeed,  that  he  had  never  been  born  ! 

What  a  melancholy  end  was  that  of  Judas  to  an  auspicious 
beginning !  Chosen  to  be  a  companion  of  the  Son  of  man, 
and  an  eye  and  ear  witness  of  His  work,  once  engaged  in 
preaching  the  gospel  and  casting  out  devils ;  now  possessed 
of  the  devil  himself,  driven  on  by  him  to  damnable  deeds, 
and  finally  employed  by  a  righteous  Providence  to  take 
vengeance  on  his  own  crime.  In  view  of  this  history,  how 
shallow  the  theory  that  resolves  all  moral  differences  between 
men  into  the  effect  of  circumstances  !  Who  was  ever  better 
circumstanced  for  becoming  good  than  Judas  }  Yet  the  very 
influences  which  ought  to  have  fostered  goodness  served 
only  to  provoke  into  activity  latent  evil. 

What  a  bitter  cross  must  the  constant  presence  of  such  a 
man  as  Judas  have  been  to  the  pure,  loving  heart  of  Jesus  ! 
Yet  how  patiently  it  was  borne  for  years !  Herein  He  is  an 
example  and  a  comfort  to  His  true  followers,  and  for  this  end 
among  others  had  He  this  cross  to  bear.  The  Redeemer  of 
men  had  a  companion  who  lifted  up  his  heel  against  Him,  that 
in  this  as  in  all  other  respects  He  might  be  like  unto,  and 
able  to  succour.  His  brethren.  Has  any  faithful  servant  of 
Christ  to  complain  that  his  love  has  been  requited  by  hatred, 
his  truth  with  bad  faith  ;  or  that  he  is  obliged  to  treat  as 
a  true  Christian  one  whom  he  more  than  suspects  to  be  a 
hypocrite  .''  It  is  a  hard  trial,  but  let  him  look  unto  Jesus 
and  be  patient ! 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE  DYING  PARENT  AND  THE   LITTLE  ONES  (STILL  RECLINING 

AT   TABLE).' 

Section  I.  —  Words  of  Comfort  and  Counsel  to  the  Sorrowing 

Children. 

John  xiii.  31-35,  xiv.  1-4,  15-21. 

The  exit  of  Judas  into  the  darkness  of  night,  on  his  still 
darker  errand,  was  a  summons  to  Jesus  to  prepare  for  death. 
Yet  He  was  thankful  for  the  departure  of  the  traitor.  It 
took  a  burden  off  His  heart,  and  allowed  Him  to  breathe  and 
to  speak  freely ;  and  if  it  brought  Him,  in  the  first  place, 
near  to  His  last  sufferings,  it  brought  Him  also  near  to  the 
ulterior  joy  of  resurrection  and  exaltation  to  glory.  There- 
fore His  first  utterance,  after  the  departure  took  place,  was 

'  Our  readers  will  find  at  the  end  of  chapter  xxvi.  of  this  work  an  analysis  of  the 
contents  of  the  farewell  discourse  and  intercessory  prayer  recorded  in  John  xiii.  31-38, 
xiv.-xvii ,  which,  though  placed  at  the  end  of  our  exposition,  may  perhaps  profitably  be 
consulted  here.  We  have  been  led  to  prepare  this  table  partly  on  account  of  the  length 
of  the  exposition,  which  is  apt  to  divert  attention  from  the  natural  divisions  of  the 
subject,  and  prevent  the  impression  of  appropriateness  to  the  situation,  which  it  has  been 
our  aim  to  produce  in  connection  with  this  part  of  John's  record,  from  being  as  strong  as 
we  should  wish.  Partly  also,  however,  from  observing  how  much  of  the  criticism  on  this 
farewell  discourse,  designed  to  show  that  it  is  not  an  historical  record  so  much  as  a  free 
composition,  seems  to  arise  out  of  defective  insight  into  its  import.  We  have  had 
occasion  to  notice  this  even  in  writers  who  admit  Johannine  authorship,  and  recognize 
logia  of  our  Lord  as  the  germs  of  all  John's  free  expansions  ;  as,  e.g.  Dr.  Sanday  in  his 
thoughtful  work  on  the  Authorship  and  Historical  Character  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 
Admitting  the  legitimacy  of  the  view  taken  by  this  writer  of  the  Johannine  discourses  in 
the  abstract,  we  maintain  that  he  has  failed  to  see  into  the  discourses,  and  very  specially 
into  the  farewell  discourse,  has  looked  too  much  at  the  surface,  and  so  has  made  criticisms 
which  he  would  not  have  made  had  he  looked  more  below  the  surface.  It  appears  to  us 
intrinsically  credible  that  Jesus  spoke  words  of  comfort  to  His  disciples  such  as  are 
considered  in  .Section  I.  of  this  chapter  ;  words  of  exhortation,  warning,  and  encourage- 
ment respecting  their  work  as  apostles,  such  as  we  find  in  John  xv.,  xvi. ;  and  words  of 
prayer  for  men  on  whom  so  much  depended.  The  children's  questions,  considered  in 
Section  II.  of  this  chapter,  seem  to  rise  naturally  out  of  the  previously  spoken  words  of 
Jesus,  and  the  answers  to  them  ought  to  be  kept  apart  from  what  Jesus  meant  to  say, 
irrespective  of  interruptions. 

378 


The  Dyijtg  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.      379 

an  outburst  of  unfeigned  gladness.  When  the  false  disciple 
was  gone  out,  and  the  sound  of  his  retiring  footsteps  had 
died  away,  Jesus  said  :  "  Now  is  the  Son  of  man  glorified  : 
and  God  is  glorified  in  Him  ;  and  God  shall  glorify  Him  in 
Himself,  yea.  He  shall  straightway  glorify  Him."  ' 

But  while,  by  a  faith  which  substantiated  things  hoped  for, 
and  made  evident  things  not  visible,  Jesus  was  able  to  see  in 
present  death  coming  glory.  He  remembered  that  He  had 
around  Him  disciples  to  whom,  in  their  weakness,  His  decease 
and  departure  would  mean  simply  bereavement  and  desola- 
tion. Therefore  He  at  once  turned  His  thoughts  to  them, 
and  proceeded  to  say  to  them  such  things  as  were  suitable 
to  their  inward  state  and  their  outward  situation. 

In  His  last  words  to  His  own  the  Saviour  employed  two 
different  styles  of  speech.  First,  He  spoke  to  them  as  a 
dying  parent  addressing  his  children ;  and  then  He  assumed 
a  loftier  tone,  and  spoke  to  them  as  a  dying  Lord  addressing 
His  servants,  friends,  and  representatives.  The  words  of 
comfort  and  counsel  spoken  by  Jesus  in  the  former  capacity, 
we  find  in  the  passages  cited  from  the  thirteenth  and  four- 
teenth chapters  of  John's  Gospel ;  while  the  directions  of 
the  departing  Lord  to  His  future  Apostles  are  recorded  in  the 
two  chapters  which  follow.  We  have  to  consider  in  this  chap- 
ter the  dying  Parent's  last  words  to  His  sorrowing  children. 

These,  it  will  be  observed,  were  not  spoken  in  one  contin- 
uous address.  While  the  dying  Parent  spake,  the  children 
kept  asking  Him  child's  questions.  First  one,  then  another, 
then  a  third,  and  then  a  fourth,  asked  Him  a  question,  sug- 
gested by  what  He  had  been  saying.  To  these  questions 
Jesus  listened  patiently,  and  returned  answer  as  He  could. 
The  answers  He  gave,  and  the  things  He  meant  to  say  with- 
out reference  to  possible  interrogations,  are  mixed  up  together 
in  the  narrative.  It  will  be  convenient  for  our  purpose 
to  separate  these  from  those,  and  to  consider  first,  taken 
together,  the  words  of  comfort  spoken  by  Jesus  to  His  dis- 
ciples, and  then  their  questionings  of  Him,  with  the  replies 
which  these  elicited.  This  method  will  make  these  words 
stand  out  in  all  their  exquisite  simplicity  and  appropriateness. 

'  John  xiii.  31,  32.  The  words  ei  6  ©ebs  ilo^6.(j6r\  kv  avria  are  regarded  as  spurious  by 
Luthardt  and  other  critics. 


380  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

To  show  how  very  simple  and  suitable  they  were,  we  may 
here  state  them  in  the  fewest  possible  words.  They  were 
these :  I.  I  am  going  away ;  in  my  absence  find  comfort  in 
one  another's  love  (xiii.  31-35).  2.  I  am  going  away;  but  it 
is  to  my  Father's  house,  and  in  due  season  I  will  come  back 
and  take  you  thither  (xiv.  1-49).  3.  I  am  going  away ;  but 
even  when  I  am  away  I  will  be  with  you  in  the  person  of  my 
alter  ego,  the  Comforter  (xiv.  15-21). 

Knowing  to  whom  He  speaks,  Jesus  begins  at  once  with 
the  nursery  dialect.  He  addresses  His  disciples  not  merely 
as  children,  but  as  "little  children  ;"  by  the  endearing  name 
expressing  His  tender  affection  towards  them,  and  His  com- 
passion for  their  weakness.  Then  He  alludes  to  His  death 
in  a  delicate  roundabout  way,  adapted  to  childish  capacity 
and  feelings.  He  tells  them  He  is  going  a  road  they  cannot 
follow,  and  that  they  will  miss  Him  as  children  miss  their 
father  when  he  goes  out  and  never  returns.  "Yet  a  little 
while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek  me  :  and  as  I  said  unto 
the  Jews,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come ;  so  now  I  say  to 
you." 

After  this  brief,  simple  preface  Jesus  went  on  to  give  His 
little  ones  His  first  dying  counsel,  viz.  that  they  should  love 
one  anotJier  in  His  absence.  Surely  it  was  a  counsel  well 
worthy  to  come  first  !  For  what  solace  can  be  greater  to 
orphaned  ones  than  mutual  love.?  Let  the  world  be  ever 
so  dark  and  cheerless,  while  brothers  in  affliction  are  true 
brothers  to  each  other  in  sympathy  and  reciprocal  helpful- 
ness, they  have  an  unfailing  well-spring  of  joy  in  the  desert 
of  sorrow.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  to  all  the  other  ills  of  life 
there  be  added  alienation,  distrust,  antagonism,  the  bereaved 
are  desolate  indeed  ;  their  night  of  sorrow  hath  not  even  a 
solitary  star  to  alleviate  its  gloom.' 

Anxious  to  secure  due  attention  to  a  precept  in  itself  most 
seasonable,  and  even  among  the  disciples  needing  enforce- 
ment, Jesus  conferred  on  it  all  the  dignity  and  importance  of 

'  Sanday,  Atithorshtp  and  Historical  Character  of  the  Fourth  Gospel,  p.  219,  says  . 
"Verses  34,  35  (the  mandattim)  come  in  curiously  as  a  parenthesis"!  This  is  the  first 
instance  of  several  in  which  this  author  seems  to  show  a  want  of  insight  into  the  structure 
of  the  last  discourse  in  its  relation  to  the  solemn  circumstances  of  speaker  and  hearers. 
The  mandat7un  surely  deserved  the  first  place  among  the  words  of  consolation  to  the 
bereaved  family. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.       381 

a  new  commandment,  and  made  the  love  enjoined  therein 
the  distinctive  mark  of  Christian  discipleship.  "  A  new 
commandment,"  said  He,  "  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one 
another ;  "  thus,  on  that  memorable  night,  adding  a  third 
novelty  to  those  already  introduced  —  the  new  sacrament 
and  the  new  convenant.  The  commandment  and  the  cove- 
nant were  new  in  the  same  sense ;  not  as  never  having  been 
heard  of  before,  but  as  now  for  the  first  time  proclaimed  with 
the  due  emphasis,  and  assuming  their  rightful  place  of  su- 
premacy above  the  details  of  Mosaic  moral  legislation  and 
the  shadowy  rites  of  the  legal  religious  economy.  Now 
love  was  to  be  the  outstanding  royal  law,  and  free  grace  was 
to  antiquate  Sinaitic  ordinances.  And  why  now  }  In  both 
cases,  because  Jesus  was  about  to  die.  His  death  would  be 
the  seal  of  the  New  Testament,  and  it  would  exemplify  and 
ratify  the  new  commandment.  Hence  He  goes  on  to  say, 
after  giving  forth  that  new  law,  "as  I  have  loved  you."  The 
past  tense  is  not  to  be  interpreted  strictly  here  :  the  perfect 
must  be  taken  as  -d.  future  perfect,  so  as  to  include  the  death 
which  was  the  crowning  act  of  the  Saviour's  love.  "  Love 
one  another,"  Jesus  would  say,  "as  I  shall  have  loved  you, 
and  as  ye  shall  know  that  I  have  loved  you  when  ye  come  to 
need  the  consolation  of  so  loving  each  other."  So  under- 
standing His  words,  we  see  clearly  why  He  calls  the  law  of 
love  new.  His  own  love  in  giving  His  life  for  His  people 
was  a  new  thing  on  earth  ;  and  a  love  among  His  followers, 
one  towards  another,  kindred  in  spirit  and  ready  to  do  the 
same  thing  if  needful,  would  be  equally  a  novelty  at  which 
the  world  would  stare,  asking  in  wonder  whence  it  came,  till 
at  length  it  perceived  that  the  men  who  so  loved  had  been 
with  Jesus. 

The  second  word  of  comfort  spoken  by  Jesus  to  the  little 
ones  He  was  about  to  leave  was,  in  its  general  aspect,  an 
exhortation  to  faith :  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled ; 
believe  in  God,  and  believe  in  me ; "  in  its  more  special 
aspect  a  promise  that  He  would  return  to  take  them  to  be 
with  Him  for  ever.'     The  exhortation  embraces  in  its  scope 

'  John  xiv.  I.  The  verb  n-io-TcveTe  in  either  clause  may  be  either  imperative  or  indica- 
tive, and  four  different  renderings  are  possible.  The  rendering  in  the  Eng.  Ver.  and 
that  given  above  come  practically  to  the  same  thing.  Even  in  the  indicative,  Ye  believe 
in  God,  an  imperative  is  implied :  Exercise  and  draw  comfort  from  your  faith  in  God. 


382  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  whole  interests  of  the  disciples,  secular  and  spiritual, 
temporal  and  eternal.  Their  dying  Master  recommends 
them  first  to  exercise  faith  in  God,  mainly  with  reference  to 
temporal  anxieties.  He  says  to  them,  in  effect :  "  I  am  going 
to  leave  you,  my  children  ;  but  be  not  afraid.  You  shall  not 
be  in  the  world  as  poor  orphans,  defenceless  and  unprovided 
for ;  God  my  Father  will  take  care  of  you  ;  trust  in  Divine 
Providence,  and  let  peace  rule  in  your  hearts."  Having  thus 
exhorted  them  to  exercise  faith  in  God  the  Provider,  Jesus 
next  exhorts  His  little  ones  to  believe  in  Himself,  with  special 
reference  to  those  spiritual  and  eternal  interests  for  the  sake 
of  which  they  had  left  all  and  followed  Him.  "  Believing  in 
God  for  food  and  raiment,  believe  in  me  too,  and  be  assured 
that  all  I  said  to  you  about  the  kingdom  and  its  joys  and 
rewards  is  true.  Soon  ye  will  find  it  very  hard  to  believe 
this  :  it  will  seem  to  you  as  if  the  promises  I  made  were  decep- 
tive, and  the  kingdom  a  dream  and  a  hallucination.  But  do 
not  allow  such  dark  thoughts  to  take  possession  of  your 
minds  :  recollect  what  you  know  of  me  ;  and  ask  yourselves 
whether  it  is  likely  that  He  whose  companions  you  have  been 
during  these  years  would  deceive  you  with  romantic  promises 
that  were  never  to  be  fulfilled." 

The  kingdom  and  its  rewards  ;  these  were  the  things  which 
Jesus  had  encouraged  His  followers  to  expect.  Of  these, 
accordingly,  He  proceeded  next  to  speak,  in  the  style  suited 
to  the  character  he  had  assumed,  —  that,  viz.,  of  a  dying 
parent  addressing  his  children.  "  In  my  Father's  house," 
said  He,  "are  many  mansions.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  and  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself." 
Such,  in  its  more  specific  form,  was  the  second  word  of  con- 
solation. What  a  cheering  prospect  it  held  out  to  the  disci- 
ples !  In  the  hour  of  despondency  the  little  ones  would 
think  themselves  orphans,  without  a  home  either  in  earth  or 
in  heaven.  But  their  Friend  assures  them  that  they  should 
not  merely  have  a  home,  but  a  splendid  one ;  not  merely  a 
humble  shed  to  shelter  them  from  the  storm,  but  a  glorious 
palace  to  reside  in,  in  a  region  where  storms  were  unknown, — 
a  house  with  a  great  many  rooms  in  it,  supplying  abundant 
accommodation  for  them  all,  incomparably  more  capacious 
than  the  temple  which  had  been  the  earthly  dwelling-place 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.       383 

of  God.  His  own  death,  which  would  appear  to  them  so  great 
a  calamity,  would  simply  mean  His  going  before  to  pre- 
pare for  them  a  place  in  that  splendid  mansion,  and  in  due 
season  His  departure  would  be  followed  by  a  return  to  take 
them  to  be  with  Himself.'  What  was  implied  in  preparing 
a  place  when  He  should  come  again,  He  did  not  explain. 
He  only  added,  as  if  coaxing  them  to  take  a  cheerful  view  of 
the  situation,  "  Whither  I  go  ye  know,  and  the  way  ye  know  ;  " 
meaning.  Think  whither  I  go,  to  the  Father,  and  think  of  my 
death  as  merely  the  way  thither  :  and  so  let  not  my  absence 
from  the  world  make  you  sad,  nor  my  death  seem  something 
dreadful. 

To  the  student  of  New  Testament  theology,  interested  in 
tracing  the  resemblances  and  contrasts  in  different  types  of 
doctrine,  this  second  word  of  consolation  spoken  by  Christ  to 
His  disciples  has  special  interest,  as  containing  substantially 
the  idea  of  a  Forerunner,  one  of  the  striking  thoughts  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  The  writer  of  that  epistle  tells  his 
Hebrew  readers  that  Jesus  has  gone  into  heaven  not  merely 
as  a  High  Priest,  but  as  a  Forerunner,^  this  being  one  of  the 

'  The  words  of  ver.  3  are  the  Johannine  equivalent  for  the  promise  of  the  second 
coming  to  set  up  the  kingdom  in  glory,  and  to  make  the  disciples  partakers  in  the  glory, 
which  forms  a  conspicuous  feature  in  the  synoptical  representation  of  Christ's  teaching. 
They  are  similar  in  import  to  words  reported  in  Luke  as  spoken  by  Jesus  on  the  same 
evening:  "  Ye  are  they  which  have  continued  with  me  in  my  temptations,  and  1  appoint 
unto  you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  appointed  unto  me,  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink 
at  my  table  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel." 
Eschatology,  and  the  doctrine  of  the  kingdom  generally,  retires  into  the  background  in 
John's  Gospel.  The  idea  of  a  divine  kingdom  is  not  altogether  wanting  indeed ;  we 
find  it  in  John  iii.  3,  xviii.  36,  and  in  the  inscription  on  the  cross  :  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
the  King  of  the  Jews."  The  Johannine  equivalent  for  the  idea  of  the  kingdom  is  eternal 
life,  an  idea  found  in  the  synoptical  Gospels  (Matt.  xvi.  25,xix.  17,  xix.  29,  xxv.  46), 
but  as  little  prominent  there  as  the  idea  of  the  kingdom  is  in  John.  The  relation  between 
the  two  ideas  is  this  :  the  one,  the  idea  of  the  kingdom,  regards  man  as  the  member  of 
a  society  ;  the  other,  the  idea  of  eternal  life,  regards  man  as  an  individual.  The  former 
denotes  the  highest  good  as  the  joint  possession  of  all  its  citizens  ;  the  latter  as  the 
separate  possession  of  each  individual  soul.  The  retirement  of  the  idea  of  the  kingdom, 
with  all  the  sensuous  coloring  with  which  it  is  painted  in  the  synoptical  narratives,  may 
be  accounted  for  by  the  late  origin  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  at  the  close  of  the  first  century, 
when  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  spread  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen,  lay 
behind  the  aged  apostle  as  historical  facts.  If  it  be  asked,  Could  Jesus  speak  of  the 
same  thing  on  the  same  occasion  so  differently  as  He  is  represented  doing  in  John  xiv. 
2,  3,  and  in  Luke  xxii.  28-30?  we  may  reply  by  asking  another  question.  Could  Jesus 
speak  to  the  same  hearers  on  the  same  occasion  so  differently  as  in  John  xiv.  and  John 
XV.  ?  The  point  of  view  changing  involves  a  change  of  style.  The  house  of  many  man- 
sions and  the  thrones  are  both  figures  or  parables,  and  might  both  occur  in  one  conver- 
sation or  discourse. 

2  The  point  is  missed  in  the  A.  V.  by  the  use  of  the  article.  The  R.  V.  gives  it  cor- 
rectly.   See  its  version  of  Heb.  vi.  20. 


384  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

novelties  and  glories  of  the  new  dispensation  ;  for  no  high 
priest  of  Israel  went  into  the  Most  Holy  Place  as  a  forerun- 
ner, but  only  as  a  substitute,  going  for  the  people  into  a  place 
whither  they  might  not  follow  him.  Jesus,  on  the  other 
hand,  goes  into  the  heavenly  sanctuary,  not  only  for  us,  but 
before  us,  going  into  a  place  whither  we  may  follow  Him ; 
no  place  being  screened  off,  barred,  or  locked  against  us. 
Similar  is  the  thought  which  the  fourth  evangelist  puts  into 
the  mouth  of  Jesus  here,  speaking  as  the  great  High  Priest 
of  humanity. 

These  child-like  yet  profound  sayings  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
are  not  only  cheering,  but  most  stimulating  to  the  imagina- 
tion. The  "  many  mansions  "  suggest  many  thoughts.  We 
think  with  pleasure  of  the  vast  numbers  which  the  many- 
mansioned  house  is  capable  of  containing.  We  may  too, 
harmlessly,  though  perhaps  fancifully,  with  the  saints  of  other 
ages,  think  of  the  lodgings  in  the  Father's  house  as  not  only 
many  in  number,  but  also  as  many  in  kind,  corresponding  to 
the  classes  or  ranks  of  the  residents.'  But  to  some  the  most 
comfortable  thought  of  all  suggested  by  this  pregnant  poetic 
word  is  the  certainty  of  an  eternal  life.  To  men  who  have 
doubted  concerning  the  life  beyond,  the  grand  desideratum 
is  not  detailed  information  resi^ecting  the  site,  and  the  size, 
and  the  architecture  of  the  celestial  city,  but  to  know  for 
certain  that  there  is  such  a  city,  that  there  is  an  house  not 
made  with  hands  eternal  in  the  heavens.  This  desideratum 
is  supplied  in  this  word  of  Christ.  For  whatever  the  many 
mansions  may  mean  besides,  they  do  at  the  least  imply  that 
there  is  a  state  of  happy  existence  to  be  reached  by  believers, 
as  He  in  whom  they  believe  reached  it,  viz.  through  death. 
The  life  everlasting,  whatever  its  conditions,  is  undoubtedly 
taught  here.  And  it  is  taught  with  authority.  Jesus  speaks 
as  one  who  knows,  not  (like  Socrates)  as  one  who  merely  has 
an  opinion  on  the  subject.  At  his  farewell  meeting  with 
his  friends  before  he  drank  the  hemlock  cup,  the  Athenian 
sage  discussed  with  them  the  question  of   the  immortality 

•  For  Cyprian's  opinion,  see  p.  256  of  this  work.  The  same  idea  occurs  in  Irenasus, 
HcBres.  V.  36.  No  doubt  there  is  a  truth  in  this  view.  There  will  be  Christians  of  various 
ranks  in  heaven  — princes  and  doorkeepers  ;  also  of  various  schools,  High  Church,  Broad 
Church,  and  Low  Church,  able  at  last  to  believe  each  other  to  be  Christians. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.      385 

of  the  soul.  On  that  question  he  strongly  maintained  the 
affirmative  ;  but  still  only  as  one  who  looked  on  it  as  a  fair 
subject  for  discussion,  and  knew  that  there  was  a  good  deal 
to  be  said  on  both  sides.  But  Jesus  does  more  than  maintain 
the  affirmative  on  the  subject  of  the  life  to  come.  He  speaks 
thereon  with  oracular  confidence,  offering  to  us  not  the  frail 
raft  of  a  probable  opinion,  whereon  we -may  perilously  sail 
down  the  stream  of  life  towards  death  ;  but  the  strong  ship 
of  a  divine  word,  wherein  one  may  sail  securely,  for  which 
Socrates  and  his  companions  sighed.'  And  He  so  speaks 
with  a  full  sense  of  the  responsibility  He  thereby  takes  upon 
Himself.  "  If  it  were  not  so,"  He  remarked  to  His  disciples, 
"I  would  have  told  you  ;"  which  is  as  much  as  to  say,  that 
one  should  not  encourage  such  expectations  as  He  had  led 
them  to  entertain  unless  he  were  sure  of  his  ground.  It 
was  not  enough  to  have  an  opinion  about  the  world  to  come: 
one  who  took  the  responsibility  of  asking  men  to  leave  this 
present  world  for  its  sake  should  be  quite  certain  that  it 
was  a  reality,  and  not  a  dream.  What  condescension  to 
the  weakness  of  the  disciples  is  shown  in  this  self-justifying 
reflection  of  their  Lord  !  What  an  aid  also  it  lends  to  our 
faith  in  the  reality  of  future  bliss  !  For  such  an  one  as  Jesus 
Christ  would  not  have  spoken  in  this  way  unless  He  had 
possessed  authentic  information  about  the  world  beyond. 

In  the  tJiird  word  of  consolation,  the  leading  thought  is  the 
promise  of  another  Comforter,  who  should  take  the  place  of 
Him  who  was  going  away,  and  make  the  bereaved  feel  as  if 
He  ivere  still  with  tJiem.  In  the  second  word  of  comfort 
Jesus  had  said  that  He  was  going  to  provide  a  home  for  the 
little  ones,  and  that  then  He  would  return  and  take  them  to 
it.  In  this  third  final  word  He  virtually  promises  to  be 
present  with  them  by  substitute,  even  when  He  is  absent. 
"I  will  pray  the  Father,"  He  says,  "and  He  shall  give  you 
another  Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you  for  ever  "  ^ 
(not  for  a  season,  as  has  been  the  case  with  me).     Then  He 

'  Phcedo.  cap.  xxxv. :  "  One  must  do  one  of  two  things  (in  reference  to  the  question  of 
a  future  state) :  either  learn  how  the  case  stands,  or  find  out  ;  or  if  these  are  impossible, 
taking  the  best  and  least  easily  refuted  of  human  opinions,  and  embarking  on  it  as 
on  a  raft  (<r;(e6tas),  sail  perilously  through  life  ;  unless  one  could  more  securely  and  less 
perilously  sail  upon  a  stronger  vessel  or  some  divine  word  (Aoyou  flsiou  i\.vo%)P 

^  John  xiv.  16. 


,386  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

tells  them  who  this  wonderful  Comforter  is  :  His  name  is 
"the  Spirit  of  Truth."  ^  Then,  lastly,  He  gives  them  to 
understand  that  this  Spirit  of  Truth  will  be  a  Comforter  to 
them,  by  restoring,  as  it  were,  the  consciousness  of  His  own 
presence,  so  that  the  coming  of  this  other  Comforter  will 
just  be,  in  a  sense,  His  own  spiritual  return.  "I  will  not 
leave  you  comfortless,"  He  assures  them  :  "  I  will  not  leave 
you  orpJians,  /will  come  to  you  ;  "  ^  promising  thereby  not  a 
different  thing,  but  the  same  thing  which  He  had  promised 
just  before,  in  different  terms.  How  the  other  Comforter 
would  make  Himself  an  alter  ego  of  the  departed  one,  He 
does  not  here  distinctly  explain.^  At  a  subsequent  stage  in 
His  discourse  He  did  inform  His  disciples  how  the  wonder 
would  be  achieved.  The  Spirit  would  make  the  absent  Jesus 
present  to  them  again,  by  bringing  to  their  remembrance  all 
His  words,'*  by  testifying  of  Him, 5  and  by  guiding  them  into 
an  intelligent  apprehension  of  all  Christian  truth.^  All  this, 
though  not  said  here,  is  sufficiently  hinted  at  by  the  name 
given  to  the  new  Paraclete.  He  is  called  the  Spirit  of  Truth, 
not  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  elsewhere,  because  He  was  to  comfort 
by  enlightening  the  minds  of  the  disciples  in  the  knowledge 
of  Christ,  so  that  they  should  see  Him  clearly  by  the  spiritual 
.eye,  when  He  was  no  longer  visible  to  the  eye  of  the  body. 

This  spiritual  vision,  when  it  came,  was  to  be  the  true 
effectual  consolation  for  the  absence  of  the  Jesus  whom  the 
eleven  had  known  after  the  flesh.  It  would  be  as  the  dawn 
of  day,  which  banishes  the  fears  and  discomforts  of  the  night. 
While  the  night  lasts,  all  comforts  are  but  partial  alleviations 
of  discomfort.  A  father's  hand  and  voice  have  a  reassuring 
effect  on  the  timid  heart  of  his  child,  as  they  walk  together 
by  night  ;  but  while  the  darkness  lasts,  the  little  one  is  liable 
to  be  scared  by  objects  dimly  seen,  and  distorted  by  fear- 
stricken  fancy  into  fantastic  forms.  "  In  the  night-time 
men  (much  more  children)  think  every  bush  a  thief ;  "  and 
all  can  sympathize  with  the  sentiment  of  Rousseau,  "  It  is 
my  nature  to  be  afraid  of  daikness."    Light  is  welcome,  even 

'  Ver.  17.  *  Ver.  i8. 

3  Tlie  identity  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Spirit  in  the  farewell  discourse  with  that  of  Paul 
may  be  noted.  With  Paul  also  the  Spirit  is  the  alter  ego  of  Christ.  The  Lord  is  the 
Spirit,  he  twice  declares  :  2  Cor.  iii.  17,  18;  vide  the  passage  in  R.  V. 

♦  Ver.  26.  *  John  xv.  26.  ^  John  xvi.  13,  14. 


The  Dying  Pareitt  and  the  Little   Ones.       387 

when  it  only  reveals  to  us  the  precise  nature  and  extent  of 
our  miseries.  If  it  do  not  in  that  case  drive  sorrow  away,  it 
helps  at  least  to  make  it  calm  and  sober.  Such  cold  comfort, 
however,  was  not  what  Jesus  promised  His  followers.  The 
Spirit  of  Truth  was  not  to  come  merely  to  show  them  their 
desolation  in  all  its  nakedness,  and  to  reconcile  them  to  it  as 
inevitable,  by  teaching  them  to  regard  their  early  hopes  as 
romantic  dreams,  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  mere  ideal,  and 
the  death  of  Jesus  as  the  fate  that  awaits  every  earnest 
attempt  to  realize  that  ideal.  Miserable  comfort  this  !  to  be 
told  that  all  earnest  religion  must  end  in  infidelity,  and  all 
enthusiasm  in  despair  ! 

The  third  word  of  consolation  was  introduced  by  an 
injunction  laid  by  Jesus  on  His  disciples.  "If  ye  love  me," 
said  He  to  them,  "keep  my  commandments."  It  is  proba- 
ble that  the  speaker  meant  here  to  set  the  true  way  of 
showing  love  over  against  an  unprofitable,  bootless  one, 
which  His  hearers  were  in  danger  of  taking ;  that,  namely, 
of  grieving  over  His  loss.  We  may  paraphrase  the  words 
so  as  to  indicate  the  connection  of  thought  somewhat  as 
follows  :  "  If  ye  love  me,  show  not  your  love  by  idle  sorrow, 
but  by  keeping  my  commandments,  whereby  ye  shall  render 
to  me  a  real  service.  Let  the  precepts  which  I  have  taught 
you  from  time  to  time  be  your  concern,  and  be  not  troubled 
about  yourselves.  Leave  your  future  in  my  hands  ;  I  will 
look  after  it  :  for  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  will  send  you 
another  Comforter."  ' 

But  this  paraphrase,  though  true  so  far  as  it  goes,  does 
not  exhaust  the  meaning  of  this  weighty  word.  Jesus  pref- 
aces the  promise  of  the  Comforter  by  an  injunction  to  keep 
His  commandments,  because  He  wishes  His  disciples  to 
understand  that  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  and  the  keep- 
ing of  the  commandments  go  together.  This  truth  is  hinted 
at  by  the  word  "and,"  which  forms  the  link  of  connection 
between  precept  and  promise  ;  and  it  is  reiterated  under 
various  modes  of  expression  in  the  passage  we  are  now  con- 

'  The  words  of  Germanicus  dying  (at  Antioch,  A.D.  19:  supposed  to  be  poisoned  by 
direction  of  Tiberius)  to  his  friends  occur  to  the  mind  here :  "  Non  hoc  pra^cipinim  amico- 
rum  munus  est,  prosequi  defunctum  ignavo  quaestu  :  sed  quje  voluerit  meminisse,  quae 
mandaverit  exsequi :  flebunt  Germanicum  etiam  ignoti :  vindicabitis  vos,  si  me  potius 
quam  fortunam  meam  fovebatis." — Taciti  Annul,  ii.  71. 


388  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

sidering.  The  necessity  of  moral  fidelity  in  order  to  spiritual 
illumination  is  plainly  taught  when  the  promised  Comforter 
is  described  as  a  Spirit  "  whom  the  world  cannot  receive, 
because  it  seeth  Him  not,  neither  knoweth  Him."  '  It  is 
still  more  plainly  taught  in  the  last  verse  of  this  section*. 
"  He  that  hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  he  it 
is  that  loveth  me  ;  and  he  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of 
my  Father  ;  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  myself  to 
him."^  As  in  His  first  great  sermon  (on  the  mount)  Jesus 
had  said,  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God;"  so,  in  His  farewell  discourse  to  His  own,  He  says  in 
effect :  Be  pure  in  heart,  and  through  the  indwelling 
Spirit  of  Truth  ye  shall  see  me,  even  when  I  am  become 
invisible  to  the  world.^ 

Life  and  light  go  together :  such  is  the  doctrine  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  as  of  all  Scripture.  Keeping  in  mind  this 
great  truth,  we  comprehend  the  diverse  issues  of  religious 
perplexities ;  in  one  resulting  in  the  illuminism  of  infidelity ; 
in  another,  in  an  enlightened,  unwavering  faith.  The  "  illu- 
mination "  which  consists  in  the  extinction  of  the  heavenly 
luminaries  of  faith  and  hope  is  the  penalty  of  not  faithfully 
keeping  Christ's  commandments  ;  that  which  consists  in  the 

'  John  xiv.  17. 

2  John  xiv.  21. 

3  John  xiv.  19.  Sanday  {Fourth  Gospel,  p.  230)  says  the  connection  in  ch.  xiv.  12-17, 
though  difficult,  is  real,  but  thinks  there  is  hardly  a  place  in  this  connection  for  ver.  15  : 
"  If  ye  love  me,"  etc.  He  has  prevented  himself  from  seeing  its  relevancy  by  treating 
ch.  xiv.  12-17  ss  one  continuous  train  of  thought,  instead  of  finding  at  ver.  15  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  independent  thought,  the  second  of  the  three  words  of  consolation.  Another 
of  this  author's  mistaken  criticisms  on  the  last  discourse  may  here  be  adverted  to.  He 
complains  that  the  different  subjects  are  not  kept  apart,  but  are  continually  crossing 
and  entangling  one  another,  later  subjects  being  anticipated  in  the  course  of  the  earlier,  and 
the  earlier  returning  in  the  later.  As  an  illustration  of  this,  he  refers  to  the  description 
of  the  functions  of  the  Paraclete,  which  he  thinks  unnecessarily  broken  up  into  five  frag- 
ments (ch.  xiv.  16,  17;  25,  26;  XV.  26;  xvi.  8-16;  23-25).  The  fact  is  undoubted;  but 
instead  of  making  against  the  historical  accuracy  of  John's  record,  it  rather  is  in  favor  of  it. 
If  the  farewell  discourse  had  been  a  didactic  composition,  mainly  the  product  of  the  writer's 
mind,  the  doctrine  of  the  Paraclete  probably  would  have  been  given  in  one  continuous 
paragraph.  But  in  a  familiar  conversation,  such  as  the  discourse  is  given  out  for,  such 
occasional  and  fragmentary  references  to  the  Comforter  are  to  be  expected.  The  only 
question  that  can  be  properly  raised  is.  Does  what  is  said  at  each  place  fit  into  the  con- 
nection of  thought  ?  We  trust  our  exposition  will  satisfy  our  readers  on  that  point. 
Certainly,  if  our  view  of  the  discourse,  as  divided  into  two  parts,  in  which  Jesus  ad- 
dressed the  disciples  first  as  children,  then  as  His  future  representatives,  be  correct, 
references  to  the  Comforter  were  sure  to  be  made  in  both  parts  :  in  the  former,  to  the 
Comforter  as  in  the  place  of  the  absent  Head  of  the  family  ;  in  the  latter,  to  the  same 
Comforter  as  the  illuminator  and  fellow-worker  of  the  apostles. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.       389 

restoration  of  spiritual  lights  after  a  temporary  obscuration 
by  the  clouds  of  doubt  is  the  reward  of  holding  fast  moral 
integrity  when  faith  is  eclipsed,  and  of  fearing  God  while 
walking  in  darkness.  A  man,  e.g.,  who,  having  believed  for 
a  time  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  the  life  to  come,  ends  by 
believing  that  Jesus  was  only  a  deluded  enthusiast,  and  that 
the  divine  kingdom  is  but  a  beautiful  dream,  will  not  be 
found  to  have  made  any  great  effort  to  realize  his  own  ideal, 
certainly  not  to  have  been  guilty  of  the  folly  of  suffering  for 
it.  To  many,  the  creed  which  resolves  all  religion  into 
impracticable  ideals  is  very  convenient.  It  saves  a  world  of 
trouble  and  pain  ;  it  permits  them  to  think  fine  thoughts, 
without  requiring  them  to  do  noble  actions,  and  it  substitutes 
romancing  about  heroism  in  the  place  of  being  heroes. 

Section  II.  —  The  Children's  Questions,  and  the  Adieu. 

John  xiii.  36-38,  xiv.  5-7,  8-14,  22-31. 

The  questions  put  successively  by  four  of  the  little  ones 
to  their  dying  Parent  now  invite  our  attention. 

The  first  of  these  was  asked  by  the  disciple  who  was  ever 
the  most  forward  to  speak  his  mind  —  Simon  Peter.  His 
question  had  reference  to  the  intimation  made  by  Jesus 
about  His  going  away.  Peter  had  noted  and  been  alarmed 
by  that  intimation.  It  seemed  to  hint  at  danger ;  it  plainly 
spoke  of  separation.  Tormented  with  uncertainty,  terrified 
by  the  vague  presentiment  of  hidden  peril,  grieved  at  the 
thought  of  being  parted  from  his  beloved  Master,  he  could 
not  rest  till  he  had  penetrated  the  mystery  ;  and  at  the  very 
first  pause  in  the  discourse  he  abruptly  inquired,  "  Lord, 
whither  goest  Thou  .-• "  thinking,  though  he  did  not  say, 
"Where  Thou  goest,  I  will  go." 

It  was  to  this  unexpressed  thought  that  Jesus  directed  His 
reply.  He  did  not  say  where  He  was  going ;  but,  leaving 
that  to  be  inferred  from  His  studied  reserve,  and  from  the 
tone  in  which  He  spoke.  He  simply  told  Peter :  "  Whither 
I  go,  thou  canst  not  follow  me  now,  but  thou  shalt  follow  me 
afterwards."  By  this  answer  He  showed  He  had  not  forgotten 
that  it  was  with  children  He  had  to  deal.  He  does  not  look 
for  heroic  behavior  on  the  part  of    Peter  and    his   brother 


390  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

disciples  at  the  approaching  crisis.  He  does  indeed  expect 
that  they  shall  play  the  hero  by  and  by,  and  follow  Him  on 
the  martyr's  path  bearing  their  cross,  in  accordance  with  the 
law  of  discipleship  proclaimed  by  Himself  in  connection  with 
the  first  announcement  of  His  own  death.  But  meantime 
He  expects  them  to  behave  simply  as  little  children,  running 
away  in  terror  when  the  moment  of  danger  arrives. 

While  this  was  the  idea  Jesus  had  of  Peter,  it  was  not  the 
idea  which  Peter  had  of  himself.  He  thought  himself  no 
child,  but  a  man  every  inch.  Dimly  apprehending  what 
following  his  Master  meant,  he  deemed  himself  perfectly 
competent  to  the  task  now,  and  felt  almost  aggrieved  by  the 
poor  opinion  entertained  of  his  courage.  "Why,"  he  there- 
fore asked  in  a  tone  of  injured  virtue,  "Lord,  why  cannot  I 
follow  Thee  now  }  "  Is  it  because  there  is  danger,  imprison- 
ment, death,  in  the  path  t  If  that  be  all,  it  is  no  good  reason, 
for  "  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  Thy  sake."  Ah,  that  "  why," 
how  like  a  child  ;  that  self-confidence,  what  an  infallible  mark 
of  spiritual  weakness  ! 

If  the  answer  of  Jesus  to  Peter's  first  question  was  indirect 
and  evasive,  that  which  He  gave  to  his  second  was  too  plain 
to  be  mistaken.  "  Wilt  thou,"  He  said,  taking  up  the  dis- 
ciple's words,  —  "  Wilt  thou  lay  down  thy  life  for  my  sake  } 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  The  cock  shall  not  crow  till 
thou  hast  denied  me  thrice."  '  Better  for  Peter  had  he  been 
content  with  the  first  reply !  Yet  no  :  not  better,  only 
pleasanter  for  the  moment.  It  was  good  for  Peter  to  be 
thus  bluntly  told  what  his  Lord  thought  of  him,  and  to 
be  shown  once  for  all  his  own  picture  drawn  by  an  unerring 
hand.  It  was  just  what  was  needed  to  lead  him  to  self- 
knowledge,  and  to  bring  on  a  salutary  crisis  in  his  spiritual 
history.  Already  more  than  once  he  had  been  faithfully 
dealt  with  for  faults  springing  from  his  characteristic  vices 
of  forwardness  and  self-confidence.  But  such  correction  in 
detail  had  produced  no  deep  impression,  no  decisive  lasting 
effect  on  his  mind.     He  was  still  ignorant  of  himself,  still  as 

'  So  substantially  in  the  synoptical  Gospels  (Matt.  xxvi.  33-35  ;  Mark  xiv.  30 ;  Luke 
xxii.  34).  The  harmony  of  this  subject  is  difficult.  Some  suppose  two  allusions  to 
Peter's  denial,  once  in  the  upper  chamber,  and  a  second  time  on  the  way  to  Gethsemane. 
See  Stier  for  this  view. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little  Ones.      391 

forward,  self-confident,  and  self-willed  as  ever,  as  the  declara- 
tion he  had  just  made  most  clearly  showed.  There  was  urgent 
need,  therefore,  for  a  lesson  that  would  never  be  forgotten ; 
for  a  word  of  correction  that  would  print  itself  indelibly 
on  the  erring  disciple's  memory,  and  bear  fruit  throughout 
his  whole  after  life.  And  here  it  is  at  last,  and  in  good 
season.  The  Lord  tells  His  brave  disciple  that  he  will  forth- 
with play  the  coward  ;  He  tells  His  attached  disciple,  to  whom 
separation  from  his  Master  seems  more  dreadful  than  death, 
that  he  will,  ere  many  hours  are  past,  deny  all  acquaintance 
or  connection  with  Him  whom  he  so  fondly  loves.  He  tells 
him  all  this  at  a  time  when  the  prophecy  must  be  followed 
by  its  fulfilment  almost  as  fast  as  a  flash  of  lightning  is 
followed  by  its  peal  of  thunder.  The  prediction  of  Jesus, 
so  minutely  circumstantial,  and  the  denial  of  Peter,  so 
exactly  corresponding,  both  by  themselves  so  remarkable, 
and  coming  so  close  together,  will  surely  help  to  make 
each  other  impressive  ;  and  it  will  be  strange  indeed  if  the 
two  combined  do  not,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  in  answer  to 
the  Master's  intercessory  prayer,  make  of  the  fallen  disciple 
quite  another  man.  The  result  will  doubtless  prove  the  truth 
of  another  prophetic  word  reported  by  Luke  as  having  been 
spoken  by  the  Lord  to  His  disciple  on  the  same  occasion.' 
The  chaff  will  be  separated  from  the  wheat  in  Peter's  char- 
acter ;  he  will  undergo  a  great  change  of  spirit ;  and  being 
converted  from  self-confidence  and  self-will  to  meekness  and 
modesty,  he  will  be  fit  at  length  to  strengthen  others,  to  be  a 
shepherd  to  the  weak,  and,  if  needful,  to  bear  his  cross,  and 
so  follow  his  Master  through  death  to  glory. 

The  second  question  proceeded  from  Thomas,  the  melan- 
choly disciple,  slow  to  believe,  and  prone  to  take  sombre 
views  of  things.  The  mind  of  this  disciple  fastened  on  the 
statement  wherewith  Jesus  concluded  His  second  word  of 
consolation  :  "Whither  I  go,  the  way  ye  know."  That  state- 
ment seemed  to  Thomas  not  only  untrue,  but  unreasonable. 
For  himself,  he  was  utterly  unconscious  of  possessing  the 
knowledge  for  which  the  speaker  had  given  His  hearers 
credit  ;  and,  moreover,  he  did  not  see  how  it  was  possible 
for  any  of  them  to  possess  it.     For  Jesus  had  never  yet  dis- 

*  Luke  xxii.  31. 


392  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

tinctly  told  them  whither  He  was  going ;  and  not  knowing 
the  tcrniiiiits  ad  quein,  how  could  any  one  know  the  road 
which  led  thereto  ?  Therefore,  in  a  dry,  matter-of-fact, 
almost  cynical  tone,  this  second  interlocutor  remarked  : 
"  Lord,  we  know  not  whither  Thou  goest,  and  how  can  we 
know  the  way  ?  "  ' 

This  utterance  was  thoroughly  characteristic  of  the  man,  as 
we  know  him  from  John's  portraiture.^  While  the  practical- 
minded  Peter  asks  Jesus  where  He  is  going,  determined  if 
possible  to  follow  Him,  Thomas  does  not  think  it  worth  his 
while  to  make  any  such  inquiry.  Not  that  he  is  unconcerned 
about  the  matter.  He  would  like  well  to  know  whither  his 
Lord  is  bound  ;  and,  if  it  were  possible,  he  would  be  as  ready 
as  his  brother  disciple  to  keep  Him  company.  Danger  would 
not  deter  him.  He  had  said  once  before,  "  Ljet  us  go,  that 
we  may  die  with  Him,"  and  he  could  say  the  same  thing 
honcstl)'  again;  for  though  he  is  gloomy,  he  is  not  selfish  or 
cowardly.  But  just  as  on  that  earlier  occasion,  when  Jesus, 
disregarding  the  warnings  of  His  disciples,  resolved  to  go 
from  Peraga  to  Judzea  on  a  visit  to  the  afflicted  family  of 
Bethany,  Thomas  took  the  darkest  view  of  the  situation,  and 
looked  on  death  as  the  certain  fate  awaiting  them  all,  so  now 
he  resigns  himself  to  a  hopeless,  desponding  mood.  The 
thought  of  the  Master's  departure  makes  him  so  sad  that 
he  has  no  heart  to  ask  questions  concerning  the  why  or 
the  whitherward.  He  resigns  himself  to  ignorance  on  these 
matters  as  an  inevitable  doom.  Whither  .''  whither  .-'  I  know 
not ;  who  can  tell  .-*  The  future  is  dark.  The  Father's  house 
you  spoke  of,  where  in  the  universe  can  it  be  .-*  Is  there 
really  such  a  place  at  all  .'' 

Even  the  question  put  by  Thomas,  "  How  can  we  know 
the  way } "  is  not  so  much  a  question  as  an  apology  for  not 
asking  questions.  It  is  not  a  demand  for  information,  but  a 
gentle  complaint  against  Jesus  for  expecting  His  disciples  to 
be  1  n i o r ni ecT. "'""Xf '  TslforTH e  expression  of  a  desire  for  knowl- 
edge, but  an  excuse  for  ignorance.  The  melancholy  disciple 
is  for  the  present  hopeless  of  knowing  either  e^/d  or  icaj',  and 
therefore  he  is  incurious  and  listless.  Far  from  seeking 
light,  he  is  rather  in  the  humor  to  exaggerate  the  darkness. 

'  John  xiv.  5,  'QJohn  xi.  16,  xx.  24-29. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little  Ones.       393 

As  Jonah  in  his  angry  mood  indulged  in  querulousness,  so 
Thomas  in  his  sadness  delights  in  gloom.  He  waits  not 
eagerly  for  the  dawn  of  day ;  he  rather  takes  pleasure  in  the 
night,  as  congenial  to  his  present  frame  of  mind.  Good  men 
of  melancholic  temperament  are,  at  the  best,  like  men  walk- 
ing amid  the  solemn  gloom  of  a  forest.  Sadness  is  the 
prevailing  feeling  in  their  souls,  and  they  are  content  to  have 
occasional  broken  glimpses  of  heaven,  like  peeps  of  the  sky 
through  the  leafy  roof  of  the  wood.  But  Thomas  is  so  heavy- 
hearted  that  he  hardly  cares  even  for  a  glimpse  of  the  celestial 
world  ;  he  looks  not  up,  but  walks  through  the  dark  forest 
at  a  slow  pace,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground. 

The  argumentative  proclivities  '  of  this  disciple  appear  in 
his  words  as  well  as  his  proneness  to  despondency.  Another 
man  in  despairing  mood  might  have  said  :  We  know  neither 
end  nor  way  ;  we  are  utterly  in  the  dark  both  as  to  whither 
you  are  going,  and  as  to  the  road  by  which  you  are  to  go 
thither.  But  Thomas  must  needs  reason  ;  his  mental  habit 
leads  him  to  represent  one  piece  of  ignorance  as  the  necessary 
consequence  of  another  :  We  know  not  the  terminus  ad 
qiieni,  and  therefore  it  is  impossible  that  we  can  know  the 
way.  This  man  is  afflicted  with  the  malady  of  thought  ;  he 
gives  reasons  for  every  thing,  and  he  will  demand  reasons 
for  every  thing.  Here  he  demonstrates  the  impossibility  of 
a  certain  kind  of  knowledge  ;  at  another  crisis  we  shall  find 
him  insisting  on  palpable  demonstration  that  his  Lord  is 
indeed  risen  from  the  dead. 

How  does  Jesus  reply  to  the  lugubrious  speech  of  Thomas  .'' 
Most  compassionately  and  sympathetically,  now  as  at  another 
time.  To  the  curious  question  of  Peter  He  returned  an 
evasive  answer ;  to  the  sad-hearted  Thomas,  on  the  other 
hand,  He  vouchsafes  information  which  had  not  been  asked. 
And  the  information  given  is  full  even  to  redundancy.  The 
disciple  had  complained  of  ignorance  concerning  the  end, 
and  especially  concerning  the  way ;  and  it  would  have  been 
a  sufficient  reply  to  have  said.  The  Father  is  the  end,  and 
I  am  the  way.  But  the  Master,  out  of  the  fulness  of  His 
heart,  said  more  than  this.  With  firm,  emphatic  tones  He 
uttered    this    oracular   response,  meant   for  the  ear  not  of 

'  On  the  so-called  Rationalism  of  Thomas,  see  cap.  xxviii.  sec.  3. 


394  "^^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Thomas  alone,  but  of  all  the  world  :  "J_am  the  way,  and 
the  truth,  and  the  life.  No  man  cometh  unto  the  Fatherbut 
by  me." 

Comparing  this  momentous  declaration  with  the  preceding 
word  of  consolation,  we  observe  a  change  in  the  mode  of 
presenting  the  truth.  The  Father  Himself  takes  the  place 
of  the  Father's  house  with  its  many  mansions,  as  the  end  ; 
and  Jesus,  instead  of  being  the  guide  who  shall  one  day  lead 
His  children  to  the  common  home,  becomes  Himself  the  zvay. 
The  kind  Master  alters  His  language,  in  gracious  accommoda- 
tion to  childish  capacities.  Of  Christians  at  the  best  it  may 
be  said,  in  the  words  of  Paul,  that  now,  in  this  present  time- 
life,  they  see  the  heavenly  and  the  eternal  as  through  a  glass, 
in  enigmas.'  But  the  disciples  at  this  crisis  in  their  history 
were  not  able  to  do  even  so  much.  Jesus  had  held  up  before 
their  eyes  the  brightly-polished  mirror  of  a  beautiful  parable 
concerning  a  house  of  many  mansions,  and  they  had  seen 
nothing  there  ;  no  image,  but  only  an  opaque  surface.  The 
future  remained  dark  and  hidden  as  before.  What,  then, 
was  to  be  done  ?  Just  what  Jesus  did.  Persgjag^^mustc^be 
substituted  for  places.  Disciples  weak  in  faith  must  be 
addressed  in  this  fasKTon  :  Can  ye  not  comprehend  whither 
I  am  going  .-^  Think,  then,  to  who7n  I  go.  If  ye  know 
nothing  of  the  place  called  heaven,  know  at  least  that  ye 
have  a  Father  there.  And  as  for  the  way  to  heaven,  let  that 
for  you  mean  vie.  Knowing  me,  ye  need  no  further  knowl- 
edge ;  believing  in  me,  ye  may  look  forward  to  the  future, 
even  to  death  itself,  without  fear  or  concern. 

On  looking  more  narrowly  into  the  response  given  by 
Jesus  to  Thomas,  we  find  it  by  no  means  easy  to  satisfy 
ourselves  as  to  how  precisely  it  should  be  expounded.  The 
very  fulness  of  this  saying  perplexes  us  ;  it  is  dark  with 
excess  of  light.  Interpreters  differ  as  to  how  the  Way,  the 
Truth,  and  the  Life  are  to  be  distinguished,  and  how  they 
are  related  to  each  other.  One  offers,  as  a  paraphrase  of 
the  text  :  I  am  the  beginning,  the  middle,  and  the  end  of  the 
ladder  which  leads  to  heaven  ;  another :  I  am  the  example, 
the  teacher,  the  giver  of  eternal  life  ;  while  a  third  subordi- 
nates the  two  last  attributes  to  the  first,  and  reads  :  I  am 

'   iv  alyiyiJiaTi,  I   Cor.  xiii.  12. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.      395 

the  true  way  of  life.'  Each  view  is  true  in  itself,  yet  one 
hesitates  to  accept  either  of  them  as  exhausting  the  meaning 
of  the  Saviour's  words. 

Whatever  be  the  preferable  method  of  interpreting  these 
words  of  our  Lord,  two  things  at  least  are  clear  from  them. 
Jesus  sets  Himself  forth  here  as  all  that  man  needs  for 
eternal  salvation,  and  as  the  only  Saviour.  He  is  way,  truth, 
life,  every  thing  ;  and  He  alone  conducts  to  the  Father.  He 
says  to  men  in  effect :  "  What  is  it  you  want .''  Is  it  light } 
I  am  the  light  of  the  world,  the  revealer  of  the  Father  :  for 
this  end  I  came,  that  I  might  declare  Him.  Or  is  it  recon- 
ciliation you  want }  I  by  that  very  death  which  I  am  about 
to  endure  am  the  Reconciler.  My  very  end  in  dying  is  to 
bring  you  who  are  for  off  nigh  to  God,  as  to  a  forgiving, 
gracious  Father.  Or  is  it  life,  spiritual,  never-ending  life, 
you  seek  }  Believe  in  me,  and  ye  shall  never  die  ;  or  though 
ye  die,  I  will  raise  you  again  to  enter  on  an  inheritance  that 
is  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  eternal 
in  the  heavens.  Let  all  who  seek  these  things  look  to  Die. 
Look  to  me  for  light,  not  to  rabbis  or  philosophers  ;  not  even 
to  nature  and  providence.  These  last  do  indeed  reveal  God, 
but  they  do  so  dimly.  The  light  of  creation  is  but  the 
starlight  of  theology,  and  the  light  of  providence  is  but  its 
moonlight,  while  I  am  the  sunlight.  My  Father's  Name  is 
written  in  hieroglyphics  in  the  works  of  creation  ;  in  provi- 
dence and  history  it  is  written  in  plain  letters,  but  so  far 
apart  that  it  takes  much  study  to  put  them  together,  and  so 
spell  out  the  divine  Name  :  in  me  the  divine  Name  is  written 
so  that  he  may  read  who  runs,  and  the  wisdom  of  God  is 
become  milk  for  babes.^  Look  to  me  also  for  reconciliation, 
not  to  legal  sacrifices.  That  way  of  approaching  God  is 
antiquated  now.  I  am  the  new,  the  living,  the  eternal  way 
into  the  holy  of  holies,  through  which  all  may  draw  near  to 
the  divine  presence  with  a  true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of 
faith.  Look  to  me,  finally,  for  eternal  blessedness.  I  am  He 
who,  having  died,  shall  rise  again,  and  live  forevermore,  and 

'  Luther,  Grotiiis,  Augustine,  quoted  in  Lange,  Bihelwerk,  das  Evang.  Joha?i. 

^  Verbum  caro  factum  est,  ut  infantiae  nostrae  lactesceret  sapientia  tua,  per  quam 
creasti  omnia.  —  August.  Conf.  \\\.  i8.  The  idea  that  Christ  became  man  to  be  the 
Revealer  of  God  is  made  very  prominent  in  the  tract  of  Athanasius,  Trepi  t^s  'efafflpajTrri- 
(reu>9  ToO  Aoyou. 


396  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

shall  hold  in  my  hands   the  keys   of  Hades  and  of  death, 
and  shall  open  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  believers." 

The  doctrine  that  in  Christ  is  the  fulness  of  grace  and 
truth  is  very  comforting  to  those  who  know  Him  ;  but  what 
of  those  who  know  Him  not,  or  who  possess  only  such  an 
implicit,  unconscious  knowledge  as  hardly  merits  the  name  ? 
Does  the  statement  we  have  been  considering  exclude  such 
from  the  possibility  of  salvation  ?  It  does  not.  It  declares 
that  no  man  cometh  to  the  Father  but  by  Christ,  but  it  does 
not  say  how  much  knowledge  is  required  for  salvation.'  It 
is  possible  that  some  may  be  saved  by  Christ,  and  for  His 
sake,  who  know  very  little  about  Him  indeed.  This  we  may 
infer  from  the  case  of  the  disciples  themselves.  What  did 
they  know  about  the  way  of  salvation  at  this  period .''  Jesus 
addresses  them  as  persons  yet  in  ignorance  concerning  Him- 
self, saying :  "  If  ye  had  known  me,  ye  should  have  known 
my  Father  also."  Nevertheless,  He  has  no  hesitation  in 
speaking  to  them  as  persons  who  should  be  with  Him  in 
the  Father's  house.  And  what  shall  we  say  of  Job,  and  the 
Syro-Phoenician  woman,  and  the  Ethiopian  eunuch,  and 
Cornelius,  and  we  may  add,  after  Calvin,  the  Syrian  courtier 
Naaman  .■'  We  cannot  say  more  than  the  great  theologian  of 
Geneva  has  himself  said  concerning  such  cases  :  "  I  confess," 
he  writes,  "  that  in  a  certain  respect  their  faith  was  implicit, 
not  only  as  to  the  person  of  Christ,  but  as  to  His  virtue  and 
grace,  and  the  office  assigned  Him  by  the  Father.  Mean- 
while it  is  certain  that  they  were  imbued  with  principles 
which  gave  some  taste  of  Christ,  however  slight."^  It  is 
doubtful  whether  even    so  much  can    be  said   of    Naaman  ; 

'  The  doctrine  of  the  Westminster  Confession  is  ambiguous  on  this  point.  Its  words 
are:  "Much  less  can  men  not  professing  the  Christian  religion  be  saved  in  any  other 
way  whatsoever,  be  they  ever  so  diligent  to  frame  their  lives  according  to  the  light  of 
nature,  and  the  law  of  that  religion  they  do  profess."  This  statement  may  mean 
either  that  the  persons  in  question  absolutely  cannot  be  saved,  —  their  non-profession  of 
the  Christian  religion  excluding  them  from  being  saved  in  the  true  way,  and  all  other 
ways  being  unavailable ;  or  that  they  cannot  be  saved  by  any  other  way :  if  saved,  it  must 
be  in  spite  of  other  ways,  and  through  the  one  true  way  —  Christ.  The  statement  in 
the  first  chapter,  Of  the  Holy  Scriptitre,  seems  to  make  the  balance  incline  towards  the 
former  view.  In  that  chapter  the  insufficiency  of  the  light  of  nature  to  give  that  knowl- 
edge of  God  which  is  necessary  for  salvation  is  affirmed,  and  the  affirmation  is  made  the 
basis  of  the  doctrine  of  revelation.  The  strongest  statement  of  all  is  in  the  Larger 
Catechism,  Q.  60,  which  seems  to  affirm  positively  that  none  can  be  saved  who  have  not 
heard  the  gospel. 

*  Calv.  Inst.  iii.  ii.  32. 


The  Dying  Pai^ejit  and  the  Little   Ones.       397 

though  Calvin,  without  evidence,  and  merely  to  meet  the 
exigencies  of  a  theory,  argues  that  it  would  have  been  too 
absurd,  when  Elisha  had  spoken  to  him  of  little  matters,  to 
have  been  silent  on  the  most  important  subject.  Or  if  we 
grant  to  Naaman  the  slight  taste  contended  for,  must  we 
not  grant  it  also,  with  Justin  Martyr  '  and  Zwingli,  to  Socrates 
and  Plato  and  others,  on  the  principle  that  all  true  knowledge 
of  God,  by  whomsoever  possessed  and  however  obtained, 
whether  it  be  sunlight,  moonlight,  or  starlight,  is  virtually 
Christian  ;  in  other  words,  that  Christ,  just  because  He  is 
the  only  light,  is  the  light  of  every  man  who  hath  any  light 
m  him  ? 

This  principle,  while  it  has  its  truth,  may  very  easily  be 
preverted  into  an  argument  against  a  supernatural  revelation. 
Hence  in  its  very  first  chapter,  Of  the  Holy  Scripture,  the 
Westminster  Confession  broadly  asserts  that  the  light  of 
nature  and  the  works  of  creation  and  providence  are  not 
sufficient  to  give  that  knowledge  of  God  and  of  His  will  which 
is  necessary  unto  salvation.  While  strongly  maintaining  this 
truth,  however,  we  must  beware  of  being  drawn  into  a  tone 
of  disparagement  in  speaking  of  what  way  be  learnt  of  God 
from  those  lower  sources.  While  walking  in  the  sunlight, 
we  must  not  despise  the  dimmer  luminaries  of  the  night,  or 
forget  their  existence,  as  in  the  day-time  men  forget  the 
moon  and  the  stars.  By  so  doing  we  should  be  virtually 
disparaging  the  Scriptures  themselves.  For  much  that  is 
in  the  Bible,  especially  in  the  Old  Testament,  is  but  a  record 
of  what  inspired  men  had  learned  from  observation  of  God's 
works  in  creation,  and  of  His  ways  in  providence.  All  cannot, 
indeed,  see  as  much  there  as  they  saw.  On  the  contrary, 
a  revelation  was  needed  not  only  to  make  known  truths  lying 
beyond  the  teachings  of  natural  religion,  but  even  to  direct 
men's  dim  eyes  to  truths  which,  though  visible  in  nature, 
were  in  fact  for  the  most  part  not  seen.     The  Bible,  in  the 

'   Xpto-TO)  5e  Tcp  KoX  VTTO  SuKpaTOV  apo  iJ.epovi  yviaadivTi  (Aoyos  yap  iji/,  xaX  icrriv  o  iv  navrl 

oil').  —  A/>o/.  ii.  10;  so  also  ApoL  i.  5.  The  anticipations  of  Christian  thought  in  Plato 
and  in  Euripides  are  familiar  to  scholars.  The  following  opinion  on  the  salvation  of  the 
heathen  from  Richard  Baxter  deserves  notice  :  —  "I  am  not  so  much  inclined  (as  he  once 
was)  to  pass  a  peremptory  sentence  of  damnation  upon  all  that  never  heard  of  Christ, 
having  some  more  reasons  than  I  knew  of  before  to  think  that  God's  dealing  with  such  is 
much  unknown  to  us."  —  Reliquice  Baxteriance,  lib.  i.  part  i.,  comparing  his  earlier  and 
later  religious  views. 


398  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

quaint  language  of  Calvin,  is  a  pair  of  spectacles,  through 
which  our  weak  eyes  see  the  glory  of  God  in  the  world.' 
Yet  what  is  seen  through  the  spectacles  by  weak  eyes  is  in 
many  passages  just  what  might  be  seen  by  strong  eyes  with- 
out their  aid,  —  "nothing  being  placed  there  which  is  not 
visible  in  the  creation."^ 

These  observations  may  help  us  to  cherish  hope  for  those 
whose  opportunities  of  knowing  Him  who  is  "the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life"  are  small.  They  do  not,  however,  justify 
those  who,  having  abundant  facilities  for  knowing  Christ, 
'  are  content  with  the  minimum  of  knowledge.  There  is  more 
hope  for  the  heathen  than  for  such  men.  To  their  number 
no  true  Christian  can  belong.  A  genuine  disciple  may  know 
little  to  begin  with  :  this  was  the  case  even  with  the  apostles 
themselves  ;  but  he  will  not  be  satisfied  to  be  in  the  dark. 
He  will  desire  to  be  enlightened  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ, 
and  will  pray,  "  Lord,  show  us  the  Father." 

Such  was  the  prayer  of  Philip,  the  tJiird  disciple  who  took 
part  in  the  dialogue  at  the  supper-table.  Philip's  request, 
like  Thomas's  question,  was  a  virtual  denial  of  a  statement 
previously  made  by  Jesus.  "If  ye  had  known  me,  "  Jesus 
had  said  to  Thomas,  "ye  should  have  known  my  Father 
also;"  and  then  He  had  added,  "and  from  henceforth  ye 
know  Him,  and  have  seen  Him."  This  last  statement  Philip 
felt  himself  unable  to  homologate.  "  Seen  the  Father ! 
would  it  were  so !  nothing  would  gratify  us  more  :  Lord, 
show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us." 

In  itself,  the  prayer  of  this  disciple  was  most  devout  and 
praiseworthy.  There  can  be  no  loftier  aspiration  than  that 
which  seeks  the  knowledge  of  God  the  Father,  no  better 
index  of  a  spiritual  mind  than  to  account  such  knowledge 
the  summmn  bomim,  no  more  hopeful  symptom  of  ultimate 
arrival  at  the  goal  than  the  candor  which  honestly  confesses 
present  ignorance.     In  these  respects  the  sentiments  uttered 

'  Sicuti  senes  vel  lippi,  et  quicunque  oculis  caligant  si  vel  pukherrimum  volumen 
illis  objicias  quamvis  agnoscant  esse  aliquid  scriptum,  vix  tamen  duas  voces  contexere 
poterunt ;  specillis  autem  interpositis  adjuti  distincte  legere  incipient :  ita  Scriptura 
confiisam  alioqui  Dei  notitiam  in  mentibus  nostris  colligens,  discussa  caligine  liquido 
nobis  verum  Deum  ostendit.  —  Inst.  i.  vi.  i. 

2  Nihil  tamen  illic  (Ps.  cxlv.,  etc.)  ponitur  quod  non  liceat  in  creaturis  contemplari.  — 
Calv.  Inst.  i.  X.  2. 


The  Dyhig  Parent  a7id  the  Little   Ones.       399 

by  Philip  were  fitted  to  gratify  his  Master.  In  other  respects, 
however,  they  were  not  so  satisfactory.  The  ingenuous  in- 
quirer had  evidently  a  very  crude  notion  of  what  seeing  the 
Father  amounted  to.  He  fancied  it  possible,  and  he  appears 
to  have  wished,  to  see  the  Father  as  he  then  saw  Jesus  —  as 
an  outward  object  of  vision  to  the  eye  of  the  body.  Then, 
supposing  that  to  be  his  wish,  how  foolish  the  reflection, 
"and  it  sufficeth  us"!  What  good  could  a  mere  external 
vision  of  the  Father  do  any  one  .-"  And  finally  that  same 
reflection  painfully  showed  how  little  the  disciples  had  gained 
hitherto  from  intercourse  with  Jesus.  They  had  been  with 
Him  for  years,  yet  had  not  found  rest  and  satisfaction  in 
Him,  but  had  still  a  craving  for  something  beyond  Him  ; 
while  what  they  craved  they  had,  without  knowing  it,  been 
getting  from  Him  all  along. 

Such  ignorance  and  spiritual  incapacity  so  late  in  the  day 
were  very  disappointing.  And  Jesus  was  disappointed,  but, 
with  characteristic  patience,  not  irritated.  He  took  not 
offence  either  at  Philip's  stupidity,  or  at  the  contradiction 
he  had  given  to  His  own  statement  (for  He  would  rather  be 
contradicted  than  have  disciples  pretend  to  know  when  they 
do  not),  but  endeavored  to  enlighten  the  little  ones  some- 
what in  the  knowledge  of  the  Father.  For  this  end  He 
gave  great  prominence  to  the  truth  that  the  knowledge  of 
the  Father  and  of  Himself,  the  Son,  were  one  ;  that  He  that 
hath  seen  the  Son  hath  seen  the  Father.  The  better  to  fix 
this  great  principle  in  the  minds  of  His  hearers,  He  put  it  in 
the  strongest  possible  manner,  by  treating  their  ignorance 
of  the  Father  as  a  virtual  ignorance  of  Himself.  "  Have  I," 
He  asked,  "been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not 
known  vie,  Philip  .''  "  Then  He  went  on  to  reason,  as  if  to 
be  ignorant  of  the  Father  was  to  be  so  far  ignorant  of  Him- 
self as  in  effect  to  deny  His  divinity.  "  Believest  thou  not," 
He  again  asked,  "that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in 
me .''  "  and  then  He  followed  up  the  question  with  a  reference 
to  those  things  which  went  to  prove  the  asserted  identity  — 
His  zvords  and  His  works.^  Nor  did  He  stop  even  here,  but 
proceeded  next  to  speak  of  still  more  convincing  proofs  of 
His  identity  with  the  Father,  to  be  supplied  in  the  marvel- 

*  John  xiv.  10,  II. 


400  The  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

lous  works  which  should  afterwards  be  done  by  the  apostles 
themselves  in  His  Name,  and  through  powers  granted  to  them 
by  Himself  in  answer  to  their  prayers.' 

The  first  question  put  by  Jesus  to  Philip,  "  Hast  thou  not 
known  me  f  was  something  more  than  a  logical  artifice  to 
make  stupid  disciples  reflect  on  the  contents  of  the  knowl- 
edge they  already  possessed.  It  hinted  at  a  real  fact.  The 
disciples  had  really  not  yet  seen  Jesus,  for  as  long  as  they  had 
been  with  Him.  They  knew  Him,  and  they  did  not  know 
Him  :  they  knew  not  tJiat  they  knew,  nor  zuJiat  they  knew. 
They  were  like  children,  who  can  repeat  the  Catechism 
without  understanding  its  sense,  or  who  possess  a  treasure 
witout  being  capable  of  estimating  its  value.  They  were 
like  men  looking  at  an  object  through  a  telescope  without 
adjusting  the  focus,  or  like  an  ignorant  peasant  gazing  up  at 
the  sky  on  a  winter  night,  and  seeing  the  stars  which  com- 
pose a  constellation,  such  as  the  Bear  or  Orion,  yet  not 
recognizing  the  constellation  itself.  The  disciples  were 
familiar  with  the  words,  parables,  discourses,  etc.,  spoken, 
and  with  the  miraculous  works  done,  by  their  Master,  but 
they  knew  these  only  as  isolated  particulars  ;  the  separate 
rays  of  light  emanating  from  the  fountain  of  divine  wisdom, 
power,  and  love  in  Jesus,  had  never  been  gathered  into  a 
focus,  so  as  to  form  a  distinct  image  of  Him  who  came  in 
the  flesh  to  reveal  the  invisible  God.  They  had  seen  many 
a  star  shine  out  in  the  spiritual  heavens  while  in  Christ's 
company  ;  but  the  stars  had  not  yet  assumed  to  their  eye 
the  aspect  of  a  constellation.  They  had  no  clear,  full,  con- 
sistent, spiritual  conception  of  the  mind,  heart,  and  character 
of  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  in  whom  dwelt  all  the  fulness  of 
Godhead  bodily.  Nor  would  they  possess  such  a  conception 
till  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  the  promised  Comforter,  came.  The 
very  thing  He  was  to  do  for  them  was  to  show  them  Christ ; 
not  merely  to  recall  to  their  memories  the  details  of  His  life, 
but  to  show  them  the  one  mind  and  spirit  which  dwelt  amid 
the  details,  as  the  soul  dwells  in  the  body,  and  made  them 
an  organic  whole,  and  which  once  perceived,  would  of  itself 
recall  to  recollection  all  the  isolated  particulars  at  present 
lying  latent  in  their  consciousness.     When  the  apostles  had 

'  Vers.  12-14. 


The  Dying  Paretit  and  the  Little   Ones,      401 

got  that  conception,  they  would  know  Christ  indeed,  the 
same  Christ  whom  they  had  known  before,  yet  different,  a 
new  Christ,  because  a  Christ  comprehended,  —  seen  with  the 
eye  of  the  spirit,  as  the  former  had  been  seen  with  the  eye  of 
the  flesh.  And  when  they  had  thus  seen  Christ,  they  would 
feel  that  they  had  also  seen  the  Father.  The  knowledge  of 
Christ  would  satisfy  them,  because  in  Him  they  should  see 
with  unveiled  face  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 

The  soul-satisfying  vision  of  God  being  a  future  good  to 
be  attained  after  the  advent  of  the  Comforter,  it  could  not 
have  been  the  intention  of  Jesus  to  assure  the  disciples  that 
they  possessed  it  already,  still  less  to  force  it  on  them  by  a 
process  of  reasoning.  When  He  said,  "  From  henceforth  ye 
know  Him  (the  Father),  and  have  seen  Him,"  He  evidently 
meant :  "  Ye  now  know  how  to  see  Him,  viz.  by  reflecting 
on  your  intercourse  with  me.  And  the  sole  object  of  the 
statements  made  to  Philip  concerning  the  close  relations 
between  the  Father  and  the  speaker  evidently  was  to  impress 
upon  the  disciples  the  great  truth  that  the  solution  of  all 
religious  difficulties,  the  satisfaction  of  all  longings,  was  to 
be  found  in  the  knowledge  of  Himself.  "  Know  me,"  Jesus 
would  say,  "  trust  me,  pray  to  me,  and  all  shall  be  well  with 
you.  Your  mind  shall  be  filled  with  light,  your  heart  shall 
be  at  rest ;  you  shall  have  every  thing  you  want ;  your  joy 
shall  be  full." 

A  most  important  lesson  this  ;  but  also  one  which,  like 
Philip  and  the  other  disciples,  all  are  slow  to  learn.  How 
few,  even  of  those  who  confess  Christ's  divinity,  do  see  in 
Him  the  true  perfect  Revealer  of  God  !  To  many  Jesus  is 
one  Being,  and  God  is  another  and  quite  a  different  Being ; 
though  the  truth  that  Jesus  is  divine  is  all  the  while  honestly 
acknowledged.  That  great  truth  lies  in  the  mind  like  an 
unfructifying  seed  buried  deep  in  the  soil,  and  we  may  say 
of  it  what  has  been  said  of  the  doctrine  of  the  soul's  immor- 
tality :  "  One  may  believe  it  for  twenty  years,  and  only  in 
the  twenty-first,  in  some  great  moment,  discover  with  aston- 
ishment the  rich  contents  of  this  belief,  the  warmth  of  this 
naphtha  spring." '  Impressions  of  God  have  been  received 
from  one  quarter,  impressions  of  Christ  from  another ;  and 

'  Jean  Paul  Richter,  Siebenkas,  Ersies  Blumenstiick. 


402  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  two  sets  of  impressions  lie  side  by  side  in  the  mind, 
incompatible,  yet  both  receiving  house-room.  Hence,  when 
a  Christian  begins  to  carry  out  consistently  the  principle 
that,  Jesus  being  God,  to  know  Jesus  is  to  know  God,  he  is 
apt  to  experience  a  painful  conflict  between  a  new  and  an 
old  class  of  ideas  about  the  Divine  Being.  Two  Gods  —  a 
christianized  God,  and  a  sort  of  pagan  divinity  —  struggle 
for  the  place  of  sovereignty;  and  when  at  last  the  conflict 
ends  in  the  enthronement  in  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  God 
whom  Jesus  revealed,  the  day-dawn  of  a  new  spiritual  life 
has  arrived. 

One  most  prominent  idea  in  the  conception  of  God  as 
revealed  by  Jesus  Christ  is  that  expressed  by  the  name  Father. 
According  to  the  doctrine  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  God  is 
not  truly  known  till  He  is  thought  of  and  heartly  believed  in 
as  a  Father  ;  neither  can  any  God  who  is  not  regarded  as  a 
Father  satisfy  the  human  heart.  Hence  His  own  mode  of 
speaking  concerning  God  was  in  entire  accordance  with  this 
doctrine.  He  did  not  speak  to  men  about  the  Deity,  or  the 
Almighty.  Those  epithets  which  philosophers  are  so  fond 
of  applying  to  the  Divine  Being,  the  Infinite,  the  Absolute, 
etc.,  never  crossed  His  lips.  No  words  ever  uttered  by  Him 
could  suggest  the  idea  of  the  gloomy  arbitrary  tyrant  before 
whom  the  guilty  conscience  of  superstitious  heathenism 
cowers.  He  spake  evermore,  in  sermon,  parable,  model 
prayer,  and  private  conversation,  of  a  Father.  Such  expres- 
sions as  "the  Father,"  "my  Father,"  "your  Father,"  were 
constantly  on  His  tongue ;  and  all  He  taught  concerning 
God  harmonized  perfectly  with  the  feelings  these  expressions 
were  fitted  to  call  forth. 

Yet  notwithstanding  all  His  pains,  and  all  the  beauty  of 
His  utterances  concerning  the  Being  whom  no  man  hath 
seen,  Jesus,  it  is  to  be  feared,  has  only  imperfectly  succeeded 
in  establishing  the  worship  of  the  Father.  From  ignorance 
or  from  preference,  men  still  extensively  worship  God  under 
other  names  and  categories.  Some  deem  the  paternal  appel- 
lation too  homely,  and  prefer  a  name  expressive  of  more 
distant  and  ceremonious  relations.  The  Deity,  or  the 
Almighty,  suffices  them.  Philosophers  dislike  the  appella- 
tion  Father,  because  it  makes  the  personality  of  God  too 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.      403 

prominent.  They  prefer  to  think  of  the  Uncreated  as  an 
Infinite,  Eternal  Abstraction  —  an  object  of  speculation 
rather  than  of  faith  and  love.  Legal-minded  professors  of 
religion  take  fright  at  the  word  Father.  They  are  not  sure 
that  they  have  a  right  to  use  it,  and  they  deem  it  safer  to 
speak  of  God  in  general  terms,  which  take  nothing  for 
granted,  as  the  Judge,  the  Taskmaster,  or  the  Lawgiver. 
The  worldly,  the  learned,  and  the  religious,  from  different 
motives,  thus  agree  in  allowing  to  fall  into  desuetude  the 
name  into  which  they  have  been  baptized,  and  only  a  small 
minority  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

Superficial  readers  of  the  gospel  may  cherish  the  idea  that 
the  name  Father,  applied  to  God  by  Jesus,  is  simply  or  mainly 
a  sentimental  poetic  expression,  whose  loss  were  no  great 
matter  for  regret.  There  could  not  be  a  greater  mistake. 
The  name,  in  Christ's  lips,  always  represents  a  definite 
thought,  and  teaches  a  great  truth.  When  He  uses  the  term 
to  express  the  relation  of  the  Invisible  One  to  Himself,  He 
gives  us  a  glimpse  into  the  mystery  of  the  Divine  Being, 
telling  us  that  God  is  not  abstract  being,  as  Platonists  and 
Arians  conceived  Him  ;  not  the  absolute,  incapable  of  rela- 
tions ;  not  a  passionless  being,  without  affections  ;  but  one 
who  eternally  loves,  and  is  loved,  in  whose  infinite  nature 
the  family  affections  find  scope  for  ceaseless  play — One  in 
three  :  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  three  persons  in  one 
divine  substance.  Then  again,  when  He  calls  God  Father, 
in  reference  to  mankind  in  general,  as  He  does  repeatedly, 
He  proclaims  to  men  sunk  in  ignorance  and  sin  this  blessed 
truth  :  "  God,  my  Father,  is  your  Father  too  ;  cherishes  a 
paternal  feeling  towards  you,  though  ye  be  so  marred  in 
moral  vision  that  He  might  well  not  know  you,  and  so  degen- 
erate that  He  might  well  be  ashamed  to  own  you  ;  and  I 
His  Son  am  come,  your  elder  brother,  to  bring  you  back  to 
your  Father's  house.  Ye  are  not  worthy  to  be  called  His 
sons,  for  ye  have  ceased  to  bear  His  image,  and  ye  have  not 
yielded  Him  filial  obedience  and  reverence  ;  nevertheless.  He 
is  willing  to  be  a  Father  unto  you,  and  receive  you  graciously 
in  His  arms.  Believe  this,  and  become  in  heart  and  conduct 
sons  of  God,  that  ye  may  enjoy  the  full,  the  spiritual  and 
eternal,  benefit  of  God's  paternal  love."     When,  finally,  He 


404  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

calls  God  Father,  with  special  reference  to  His  own  disciples, 
He  assures  them  that  they  are  the  objects  of  God's  constant, 
tender,  and  effective  care  ;  that  all  His  power,  wisdom,  and 
love  are  engaged  for  their  protection,  preservation,  guidance, 
and  final  eternal  salvation  ;  that  their  Father  in  heaven  will 
see  that  they  lack  no  good,  and  will  make  all  things  minister 
to  their  interest,  and  in  the  end  secure  to  them  their  inherit- 
ance in  the  everlasting  kingdom.  "  Fear  not,"  is  His 
comforting  message  to  His  little  chosen  flock,  "  it  is  your 
Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom." 

We  have  now  to  notice  the  fourth  and  last  of  the  chil- 
dren's questions,  which  was  put  by  Judas,  "  not  Iscariot  "  (he 
is  otherwise  occupied),  but  the  other  disciple  of  that  name, 
also  called  Lebbaeus  and  Thaddaeus.' 

In  His  third  word  of  consolation  Jesus  had  spoken  of  a 
re-appearance  (after  His  departure)  specially  and  exclusively 
to  "His  own."  "The  world,"  He  had  said,  "seeth  me  no 
more  ;  but  ye  see  me,"  that  is,  shall  see  after  a  little  while. 
Now  two  questions  might  naturally  be  asked  concerning  this 
exclusive  manifestation  :  How  was  it  possible  .^  and  what 
was  the  reason  of  it .-'  How  could  Jesus  make  Himself 
S  visible  to  His  disciples,  and  yet  remain  invisible  to  all  others  .-' 
y  and  granting  the  possibility,  why  not  show  Himself  to  the 
world  at  large }  It  is  not  easy  to  decide  which  of  these  two 
difficulties  Judas  had  in  his  mind,  for  his  question  might  be 
interpreted  either  way.  Literally  translated,  it  was  to  this 
effect  :  "  Lord,  what  has  happened,  that  Thou  art  about  to 
manifest  Thyself  unto  us,  and  not  unto  the  world  }  "  The 
disciple  might  mean,  like  Nicodemus,  to  ask,  "  How  can 
these  things  be  .-'  "  or  he  might  mean,  "  We  have  been  hoping 
for  the  coming  of  Thy  kingdom  in  power  and  glory,  visible 
to  the  eyes  of  all  men  :  what  has  led  Thee  to  change  Thy 
plans  }  " 

In  either  case  the  question  of  Judas  was  founded  on  a 
misapprehension  of  the  nature  of  the  promised  manifestation. 
He  imagined  that  Jesus  was  to  re-appear  corporeally,  after 
His  departure  to  the  Father,  therefore  so  as  to  be  visible  to 
the  outward  eye,  and  not  of  this  one  or  that  one,  but  of  all, 
unless    He   took  pains    to    hide    Himself   from  some  while 

*  Vide  chap,  iv,  of  this  work. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.       405 

revealing  Himself  to  others.'  Neither  Judas  nor  any  of  his 
brethern  was  capable  as  yet  of  conceiving  a  spiritual  mani- 
festation, not  to  speak  of  finding  therein  a  full  compensation, 
for  the  loss  of  the  corporeal  presence.  Had  they  grasped 
the  thought  of  a  spiritual  presence,  they  could  have  had  no 
difficulty  in  reconciling  visibility  to  one  with  invisibility  to 
another ;  for  they  would  have  understood  that  the  vision 
could  be  enjoyed  only  by  those  who  possessed  the  inward 
sense  of  sight. 

How  was  a  question  dictated  by  incapacity  to  understand 
the  subject  to  which  it  referred  to  be  answered  }  Just  as 
you  would  explain  the  working  of  the  electric  telegraph  to 
a  child.  If  your  child  asked  you.  Father,  how  is  it  that  you 
can  send  a  message  by  the  telegraph  to  my  uncle  or  aunt  in 
America,  so  far,  far  away  .-*  you  would  not  think  of  attempting 
to  explain  to  him  the  mysteries  of  electricity.  You  would 
take  him  to  a  telegraph  office,  and  bid  him  look  at  the  man 
actually  engaged  in  sending  a  message,  and  tell  him,  that 
as  the  man  moved  the  handle,  a  needle  in  America  pointed 
at  letters  of  the  alphabet,  which,  when  put  together,  made 
up  words  which  said  just  what  you  wished  to  say. 

In  this  way  it  was  that  Jesus  answered  the  question  of 
Judas.  He  did  not  attempt  to  explain  the  difference  between 
a  spiritual  and  a  corporeal  manifestation,  but  simply  said  in 
effect :  Do  you  so  and  so,  and  what  I  have  promised  will 
come  true.  "  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words  ;  and 
my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and 
make  our  abode  with  him."  It  is  just  the  former  statement 
repeated,  in  a  slightly  altered,  more  pointed  form.  Nothing 
ne^w  is  said,  because  nothing  new  can  be  said  intelligibly. 
The  old'  promise  is  simply  so  put  as  to  arrest  attention  on 
the  condition  of  its  fulfilment,  "//"a  man  love  me,  he  will 
keep  my  words  : "  attend  to  that,  my  children,  and  the  rest 
will  follow.  The  divine  Trinity  —  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit  — 
will  verily  dwell  with  the  faithful  disciple,  who  with  trem- 
bling solicitude  strives  to  observe  my  commandments.     As 

'  Luthardt  {Das  Johan.  Evang.  ii.  313)  contends  that  a  corporeal  manifestation  (at 
the  end  of  the  world)  is  meant,  and  weakly  argues,  that  if  only  a  spiritual  presence  were 
meant,  Jesus  would  have  said  iv  avrti  instead  of  nap'  aiirw  in  ver.  23.  Ilapd  suits  the 
parabolic  style  of  speech  ;  iv  would  be  an  ititerpretation  of  the  figure. 


4o6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

for  those  who  love  me  not,  and  keep  not  my  sayings,  anc^ 
beheve  not  on  me,  it  is  simply  impossible  for  them  to  enjoy 
such  august  company.  The  pure  in  heart  alone  shall  see 
God. 

Jesus  had  now  spoken  all  He  meant  to  say  to  His  disciples 
in  the  capacity  of  a  dying  parent  addressing  his  sorrowing 
children.  It  remained  now  only  to  wind  up  the  discourse, 
and  bid  the  little  ones  adieu. 

In  drawing  to  a  close,  Jesus  does  not  imagine  that  He  has 
removed  all  difficulties  and  dispelled  all  gloom  from  the  minds 
of  the  disciples.  On  the  contrary,  He  is  conscious  that  all  He 
has  said  has  made  but  a  slight  impression.  Nevertheless, 
He  will  say  no  more  in  the  way  of  comfort.  There  is,  in 
the  first  place,  no  time.  Judas  and  his  band,  the  prince  of 
this  world,  whose  servants  Judas  and  all  his  associates  are, 
may  now  be  expected  at  any  moment,  and  He  must  hold 
Himself  in  readiness  to  go  and  meet  the  enemy. '  Then, 
secondly,  to  add  any  thing  further  would  be  useless.  It  is 
not  possible  to  make  things  any  clearer  to  the  disciples  in 
their  present  state  by  any  amount  of  speech.  Therefore  He 
does  not  attempt  it,  but  refers  them  for  all  other  explana- 
tions to  the  promised  Comforter,^  and  proceeds  to  utter  the 
words  of  farewell :  "  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give 
unto  you,"  ^  —  words  touching  at  all  times,  unspeakably 
affecting  in  the  circumstances  of  the  Speaker  and  hearers. 
We  know  not  but  they  did  more  to  comfort  the  dispirited 
little  ones  than  all  that  had  been  said  before.  There  is  a 
pathos  and  a  music  in  the  very  sound  of  them,  apart  from 
their  sense,  which  are  wonderfully  soothing.  We  can 
imagine,  indeed,  that  as  they  were  spoken,  the  poor  disciples 
were  overtaken  with  a  fit  of  tenderness,  and  burst  into  tears. 
That,  however,  would  do  them  good.  Sorrow  is  healed  by 
weeping :  the  sympathy  which  melts  the  heart  at  the  same 
time  comforts  it. 

This  touching  sympathetic  farewell  is  more  than  a  good 
wish  :  it  is  a  promise  —  a  promise  made  by  One  who  knows 
that  the  blessing  promised  is  within  reach.  It  is  like  the 
cheering  word   spoken    by  David  to   brothers  in  affliction  : 

'  John  xiv.  30,  31.  *  Vers.  25,  26.  ^  Ver.  27. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.      407 

"Wait  on  the  Lord:  be  of  good  courage,  and  He  shall 
strengthen  thine  heart :  wait,  I  say,  on  the  Lord."  David 
spoke  that  word  from  experience,  and  even  so  does  Jesus 
speak  here.  The  peace  He  offers  His  disciples  is  His  own 
peace — "my  peace:"  not  merely  peace  of  His  procuring, 
but  peace  of  His  experiencing.  He  has  had  peace  in  the 
world,  in  spite  of  sorrow  and  temptation, — perfect  peace 
through  faith.  Therefore  He  can  assure  them  that  such  a 
thing  is  possible.  They,  too,  can  have  peace  of  mind  and 
heart  in  the  midst  of  untoward  tribulation.  The  world  can 
neither  understand  nor  impart  such  peace,  the  only  peace  it 
knows  any  thing  about  being  that  connected  with  prosperity, 
which  trouble  can  destroy  as  easily  as  a  breath  of  wind 
agitates  the  calm  surface  of  the  sea.  But  there  is  a  peace 
which  is  independent  of  outward  circumstances,  whose 
sovereign  virtue  and  blessed  function  it  is  to  keep  the 
heart  against  fear  and  care.  Such  peace  Jesus  had  Him- 
self enjoyed;  and  He  gives  His  disciples  to  understand 
that  through  faith  and  singleness  of  mind  they  may  enjoy 
it  also. 

The  farewell  word  is  not  only  a  promise  made  by  One  who 
knows  whereof  He  speaks,  but  the  promise  of  One  who  can 
bestow  the  blessing  promised.  Jesus  does  not  merely  say  : 
Be  of  good  cheer  ;  ye  may  have  peace,  even  as  I  have  had 
peace,  in  spite  of  tribulation.  He  says  moreover,  and  more 
particularly.  Such  peace  as  I  have  had  I  bequeath  to  you 
as  a  dying  legacy,  I  bestow  on  you  as  a  parting  gift. 
The  inheritance  of  peace  is  made  over  to  the  little  ones 
by  a  last  will  and  testament,  though,  being  minors,  they 
do  not  presently  enter  into  actual  possession.  When 
they  arrive  at  their  majority  they  shall  inherit  the  promise, 
and  delight  themselves  in  the  abundance  of  peace.  The 
after-experience  of  the  disciples  proved  that  the  promise 
made  to  them  by  their  Lord  had  not  been  false  and  vain. 
The  apostles,  as  Jesus  foretold,  found  in  the  world  much 
tribulation  ;  but  in  the  midst  of  all  they  enjoyed  perfect 
peace.  Trusting  in  the  Lord,  and  doing  good,  they  were 
without  fear  and  without  care.  In  every  thing,  by  prayer 
and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving,  they  made  their  requests 
known   unto   God ;   and  the  peace  of   God,  which   passeth 


4o8  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

understanding,  did  verily  keep  their  hearts  and  minds  in 
Christ  Jesus. 

Jesus  had  not  yet  said  His  last  word  to  the  little  ones. 
Seeing  in  their  faces  the  signs  of  grief,  in  spite  of  all  that 
He  had  spoken  to  comfort  them,  He  abruptly  threw  out  an 
additional  remark,  which  gave  to  the  whole  subject  of  His 
departure  quite  a  new  turn.  He  had  been  telling  them,  all 
through  His  farewell  address,  that  though  He  was  going 
away,  He  would  come  again  to  them,  either  personally  or  by 
deputy,  in  the  body  at  last,  in  the  Spirit  meanvv^hile.  He  now 
told  them,  that  apart  from  His  return.  His  departure  itself 
should  be  an  occasion  of  joy  rather  than  of  sorrow,  because 
of  what  it  signified  for  Himself.  "  Ye  have  heard  how  I  said 
unto  you,  I  go  away,  and  come  again  unto  you  : "  extract 
comfort  from  that  promise  by  all  means.  But  "  if  ye  loved 
me  (as  ye  ought),  ye  would  rejoice  because  I  said,  I  go  unto 
the  Father,"  '  forgetting  yourselves,  and  thinking  what  a 
happy  change  it  would  be  for  me.  Then  he  added  :  "  For 
my  Father  is  greater  than  I."  The  connection  between  this 
clause  and  the  foregoing  part  of  the  sentence  is  somewhat 
obscure,  as  is  also  its  theological  import.  Our  idea,  however, 
is,  that  when  Jesus  spake  these  words  He  was  thinking  of 
His  death,  and  meeting  an  objection  thence  arising  to  the 
idea  of  rejoicing  in  His  departure.  "You  are  going  to 
the  Father,"  one  might  have  said  —  "yes;  but  by  what  a 
way  ! "  Jesus  replies  :  The  way  is  rough,  and  abhorrent  to 
flesh  and  blood  ;  but  it  is  the  way  my  Father  has  appointed, 
and  that  is  enough  for  me  ;  for  my  Father  is  greater  than  I. 
So  interpreting  the  words,  we  only  make  the  speaker  hint 
therein  at  a  thought  which  we  find  Him  plainly  expressing 
immediately  after  in  His  concluding  sentence,  where  He 
represents  His  voluntary  endurance  of  death  as  a  manifesta- 
tion to  the  world  of  His  love  to  the  Father,  and  as  an  act  of 
obedience  to  His  commandment. 

And  now,  finally,  by  word  and  act,  Jesus  strives  to  impress 
on  the  little  children  the  solemn  reality  of  their  situation. 
First,  He  bids  them  mark  what  He  has  told  them  of  His 
departure,  that  when  the  separation  takes  place  they  may  not 
be  taken  by  surprise.     "  Now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come 

'  John  xiv.  28. 


The  Dying  Parent  and  the  Little   Ones.      409 

to  pass,  that  when  it  is  come  to  pass  ye  might  believe."  ' 
Then  He  gives  them  to  understand  that  the  parting  hour  is 
at  hand.  Hereafter  He  will  not  talk  much  with  them  ;  there 
will  not  be  opportunity  ;  for  the  prince  of  this  world  cometh. 
Then  He  adds  words  to  this  effect  :  "  Let  him  come ;  I  am 
ready  for  him.  He  has  indeed  nothing  in  me ;  no  claim  upon 
me  ;  no  power  over  me  ;  no  fault  which  he  can  charge  against 
me.  Nevertheless,  I  yield  myself  up  into  his  hands,  that 
all  men  may  see  that  I  love  the  Father,  and  am  loyal  to 
His  will:  that  I  am  ready  to  die  for  truth,  for  righteous- 
ness, for  the  unrighteous."  ^  Then,  lastly,  with  firm,  resolute 
voice.  He  gives  the  word  of  command  to  all  to  rise  ujd 
from  the  couches  on  which  they  have  been  reclining,  doubt- 
less suiting  His  own  action  to  the  word  :  "  Arise,  let  us  go 
hence."  3 

From  the  continuation  of  the  discourse,  as  recorded  by 
John,  as  well  as  from  the  statement  made  by  him  at  the 
commencement  of  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  his  Gospel 
("When  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words,  He  went  forth,"  etc.), 
we  infer  that  the  company  did  not  at  this  point  leave  the 
supper-chamber.  They  merely  assumed  a  new  attitude,  and 
exchanged  the  recumbent  for  a  standing  posture,  as  if  in 
readiness  to  depart.  This  movement  was,  in  the  circum- 
stances, thoroughly  natural.  It  fitly  expressed  the  resolute 
temper  of  Jesus  ;  and  it  corresponded  to  the  altered  tone  in 
which  He  proceeded  to  address  His  disciples.  The  action 
of  rising  formed,  in  fact,  the  transition  from  the  first  part  of 
His  discourse  to  the  second.  Better  than  words  could  have 
done,  it  altered  the  mood  of  mind,  and  prepared  the  disciples 
for  listening  to  language  not  soft,  tender,  and  familiar  as 
heretofore,  but  stern,  dignified,  impassioned.  It  struck  the 
keynote,  if  we  may  so  express  it,  by  which  the  speaker 
passed  from  the  lyric  to  the  heroic  style.  It  said,  in  effect : 
Let  us  have  done  with  the  nursery  dialect,  which,  continued 
longer,  would  but  enervate  :  let  me  speak  to  you  now  for  a 
brief  space  as  men  who  have  got  to  play  an  important  part 
in  the  world.  Arise  ;  shake  off  languor,  and  listen,  while  I 
utter  words  fitted  to  fire  you  with  enthusiasm,  to  inspire  you 
with   courage,   and   to   impress    you  with   a   sense    of    the 

*  Ver.  29.  2  jQ]jn  xiv.  30,  31.  3  Ver.  31. 


4IO  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

responsibilities  and  the  honors  connected  with  your  future 
position. 

So  understanding  the  rising  from  the  table,  we  shall  be 
prepared  to  listen  along  with  the  disciples,  and  to  enter  on 
the  study  of  the  remaining  portion  of  Christ's  farewell  dis- 
course, without  any  feeling  of  abruptness. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

DYING  CHARGE  TO  THE  FUTURE  APOSTLES. 

Section  I.  —  The  Vine  and  its  Branches. 

John  xv.  1-15. 

The  subject  of  discourse  in  these  chapters  is  the  future 
work  of  the  apostles, — its  nature,  honors,  hardships,  and 
joys.  Much  that  is  said  therein  admits  of  application  to 
Christians  in  general,  but  the  reference  in  the  first  place  is 
undoubtedly  to  the  eleven  then  present ;  and  only  by  keep- 
ing this  in  mind  can  we  get  a  clear  idea  of  the  import  of  the 
discourse  as  a  whole. 

The  first  part  of  this  charge  to  the  future  apostles  has  for 
its  object  to  impress  upon  them  that  they  have  a  great  work 
before  them."  The  keynote  of  the  passage  may  be  found  in 
the  words  :  "  Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you, 
and  ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit, 
and  that  your  fruit  should  remain."^  Jesus  would  have  His 
chosen  ones  understand  that  He  expects  more  of  them  than 
that  they  shall  not  lose  heart  when  He  has  left  the  earth. 
They  must  be  great  actors  in  the  world,  and  leave  their  mark 
permanently  on  its  history :  they  must,  in  fact,  take  His 
place,  and  be  in  His  stead,  and  carry  on  the  work  He  had 
begun,  in  His  name  and  through  His  aid. 

To  put  their  duty  clearly  before  the  minds  of  His  disciples, 
Jesus  made  large  use  of  a  beautiful  figure  drawn  from  the 
vine-tree,  which  He  introduced  at  the  very  outset  of  His 
discourse.  "  I  am  the  true  vine  ; "  that  is  the  theme,  which 
in  the  sequel  is  worked  out  with  considerable  minuteness  of 
detail,  —  figure  and  interpretation  being  freely  mixed  up 
together  in  the  exposition.     The    question  has   often  been 

•  John  XV.  1-17.  ^  Ver.  16. 

411 


4 1 2  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

asked,  What  led  Jesus  to  adopt  this  particular  emblem  as 
the  vehicle  of  His  thoughts  ?  and  many  conjectural  answers 
have  been  hazarded.  In  absence  of  information  in  the  narra- 
tive, however,  we  must  be  content  to  remain  in  ignorance 
on  this  point,  without  attempting  to  supply  the  missing  link 
in  the  association  of  ideas.  This  is  no  great  hardship  ;  for, 
after  all,  what  does  it  matter  how  a  metaphor  is  suggested  (a 
thing  which  even  the  person  employing  the  metaphor  often 
does  not  know),  provided  it  be  in  itself  apt  to  the  purpose  to 
which  it  is  applied  ?  Of  the  aptness  of  the  metaphor  here 
employed  there  can  be  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any  one  who 
attentively  considers  the  felicitous  use  which  the  speaker 
made  of  it.' 

Turning  our  attention,  then,  to  the  discourse  of  Jesus  on 
His  own  chosen  text,  we  cannot  but  be  struck  with  the 
manner  in  which  He  hurries  on  at  once  to  speak  of  fruit. 
We  should  have  expected  that,  in  introducing  the  figure  of 
the  vine.  He  would  in  the  first  place  state  fully  in  terms 
of  the  figure  how  the  case  stood.  After  hearing  the  words, 
*' I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman," 
we  expect  to  hear,  "  and  ye,  my  disciples,  are  the  branches, 
through  which  the  vine  brings  forth  fruit."  That,  however, 
is  not  said  here  ;  but  the  speaker  passes  on  at  once  to  tell 
His  hearers  how  the  branches  (of  which  no  mention  has 
been  made)  are  dealt  with  by  the  divine  Husbandman  ;  how  the 
fruitless  branches,  on  the  one  hand,  are  lopped  off,  while 
the  fruitful  ones  are  pruned  that  they  may  become  still  more 
productive.  ^  This  shows  what  is  uppermost  in  the  mind 
of  Jesus.  His  heart's  desire  is  that  His  disciples  may  be 
spiritually  fruitful.  "  Fruit,  fruit,  my  disciples,"  He  exclaims 
in  effect;  "ye  are  useless  unless  ye  bear  fruit :  my  Father 
desires  fruit,  even  as  I  do  ;  and  His  whole  dealing  with  you 
will  be  regulated  by  a  purpose  to  increase  your  fruitfulness." 

While  urgent  in  His  demand  for  fruit,  Jesus  does  not,  we 

'  Sanday  {Fo?trfh  Gospel,  p.  231)  speaks  of  the  allegory  of  the  vine  as  belonging  to 
a  different  and  more  didactic  period  in  the  life  of  Christ,  and  represents  it  as  breaking  the 
thread  and  having  little  bearing  on  the  object  of  the  discourse,  which  is  to  comtort 
the  disciples  in  the  prospect  of  their  Lord's  departure.  That  was  certainly  one  object,  but 
not  the  only  one.  The  allegory  is  very  apt  to  the  other  principal  object  of  the  discourse, 
viz.  to  bring  before  the  hearers  their  responsibilities  as  apostles  of  the  Christian  faith. 

^  John  .\v.  2. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        413 

observe,  in  any  part  of  this  discourse  on  the  vine,  indicate 
wherein  the  expected  fruit  consists.  When  we  consider  to 
whom  He  is  speaking,  however,  we  can  have  no  doubt  as 
to  what  He  principally  intends.  The  fruit  He  looks  for  is 
the  spread  of  the  gospel  and  the  ingathering  of  souls  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  by  the  disciples,  in  the  discharge  of  their 
apostolic  vocation.  Personal  holiness  is  not  overlooked  ; 
but  it  is  required  rather  as  a  means  towards  fruitfulness 
than  as  itself  the  fruit.  It  is  the  purging  of  the  branch 
which  leads  to  increased  fertility. 

The  next  sentence  ("  Now  ye  are  clean  through  the  word 
which  I  have  spoken  unto  you  "  ' )  it  seems  best  to  regard  as 
a  parenthesis,  in  which  for  a  moment  the  figure  of  the  vine 
is  lost  sight  of.  The  mention  of  branches  which,  as  unpro- 
ductive, are  cut  off,  recalls  to  the  Lord's  thoughts  the  case 
of  one  who  had  already  been  cut  off, — the  false  disciple 
Judas,  —  and  leads  Him  naturally  to  assure  the  eleven  that 
He  hopes  better  things  of  them.  The  process  of  excision 
had  already  been  applied  among  them  in  one  instance : 
therefore  they  should  not  be  high-minded,  but  fear.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  as  He  had  said  before  in  connection  with 
the  feet-washing,  that  they  were  clean,  with  one  exception  ; 
so  now  He  would  say  they  were  all  clean,  without  exception, 
through  the  word  which  He  had  spoken  to  them.  As 
branches  they  might  need  pruning,  but  there  would  be  no 
occasion  for  cutting  off. 

Having  strongly  declared  the  indispensableness  of  fruit- 
bearing  in  order  to  continued  connection  with  the  vine,  Jesus 
proceeded  next  to  set  forth  the  conditions  of  fruitfulness,  and 
(what  we  should  have  expected  at  the  very  commencement 
of  the  discourse)  the  relation  subsisting  between  Himself 
and  His  disciples.  "I  am  the  vine,"  He  said  (to  take  the 
latter  first),  "ye  are  the  branches."^  By  this  statement  He 
explains  why  He  is  so  urgent  that  His  disciples  should  be 
fruitful.  The  reason  is,  that  they  are  the  media  through 
which  He  Himself  brings  forth  fruit,  serving  the  same 
purpose  to  Him  that  the  branches  serve  to  the  vine.  His 
own  personal  work  had  been  to  choose  and  train  them, — to 
fill  them,  so  to  speak,  with  he  sap  of  divine  truth  ;  and  their 

*  John  XV.  3.  2  Ver.  5. 


414  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

work  was  now  to  turn  that  sap  into  grapes.  The  Father* 
in  heaven,  by  sending  Him  into  the  world,  had  planted 
Him  in  the  earth,  a  new,  mystic,  spiritual  vine ;  and  He  had 
produced  them,  the  eleven,  as  His  branches.  Now  His  per- 
sonal ministry  was  at  an  end  ;  and  it  remained  for  the  branches 
to  carry  on  the  work  to  its  natural  consummation,  and  to 
bring  forth  a  crop  of  fruit,  in  the  shape  of  a  church  of  saved 
men  believing  in  His  name.  If  they  failed  to  do  this.  His 
labor  would  be  all  in  vain. 

Returning  now  to  the  conditions  of  fruitfulness,  we  find 
Jesus  expressing  them  in  these  terms  :  "Abide  in  me,  and  I 
in  you."  '  These  words  point  to  a  dependence  of  the  disciples 
on  their  Lord  under  two  forms,  which  by  help  of  the  analogy 
of  a  tree  and  its  branches  it  is  easy  to  distinguish.  The 
branch  abides  in  the  vine  structurally  ;  and  the  vine  abides 
in  the  branch  through  its  sap,  vitally.  Both  of  these  abid- 
ings  are  necessary  to  fruit-bearing.  Unless  the  branch  be 
organically  connected  with  the  stem,  the  sap  which  goes  to 
make  fruit  cannot  pass  into  it.  On  the  other  hand,  although 
the  branch  be  organically  connected  with  the  stem,  yet  if  the 
sap  of  the  stem  do  not  ascend  into  it  (a  case  which  is  possible 
and  common  in  the  natural  world),  it  must  remain  as  fruitless 
as  if  it  were  broken  off  and  lying  on  the  ground. 

All  this  is  clear ;  but  when  we  ask  what  do  the  two  abid- 
ings  signify  in  reference  to  the  mystic  vine,  the  answer  is  not 
quite  so  easy.  The  tendency  here  is  to  run  the  two  into  one, 
and  to  make  the  distinction  between  them  merely  nominal. 
The  best  way  to  come  at  the  truth  is  to  adhere  as  closely  as 
possible  to  the  natural  analogy.  What,  then,  would  one  say 
most  nearly  corresponded  to  the  structural  abiding  of  the 
branch  in  the  tree  t  We  reply,  abiding  in  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  in  the  doctrine  He  taught ;  and  acknowledging  Him 
as  the  source  whence  it  had  been  learned.  In  other  words, 
"Abide  in  me"  means.  Hold  and  profess  the  truth  I  have 
spoken  to  you,  and  give  yourselves  out  merely  as  my  wit- 
nesses. The  other  abiding,  on  the  other  hand,  signifies  the 
indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  in  the  hearts  of  those  who 
believe.  Jesus  gives  His  disciples  to  understand  that,  while 
abiding  in  His  doctrine,  they  must    also  have    His    Spirit 

*  John  XV.  4. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        415 

abiding  in  them  ;  that  they  must  not  only  hold  fast  the  truth, 
but  be  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  truth. 

As  thus  distinguished,  the  two  abidings  are  not  only  dif- 
ferent in  conception,  but  separable  in  fact.  On  the  one  hand, 
there  may  be  Christian  orthodoxy  in  the  letter  where  there  is 
little  or  no  spiritual  life ;  and  there  may,  on  the  other  hand, 
be  a  certain  species  of  spiritual  vitality,  a  great  moral,  and  in 
some  respects  most  Christian-like  earnestness,  accompanied 
with  serious  departure  from  the  faith.  The  one  may  be 
likened  unto  a  dead  branch  on  a  living  tree,  bleached,  bark- 
less,  moss-grown,  and  even  in  summer  leafless,  stretching  out 
like  a  withered  arm  from  the  trunk  into  which  it  is  inserted, 
and  with  which  it  still  maintains  an  organic  structural  con- 
nection. The  other  is  a  branch  cut  off  by  pride  or  self-will 
from  the  tree,  full  of  the  tree's  sap,  and  clothed  with  verdure 
at  the  moment  of  excision,  and  foolishly  imagining,  because 
it  does  not  wither  at  once,  that  it  can  live  and  grow  and 
blossom  independently  of  the  tree  altogether.  Have  such 
things  never  been  since  Christianity  began  .-•  Alas,  would  it 
were  so !  In  the  grand  primeval  forest  of  the  Church  too 
many  dead  orthodoxies  have  ever  been  visible  ;  and  as  for 
branches  setting  up  for  the  themselves,  their  name  is  legion. 

The  two  abidings,  which  we  have  seen  to  be  not  only 
separable,  but  often  separated,  cannot  be  separated  without 
fatal  effects.  The  result  ever  is  in  the  end  to  illustrate  the 
truth  of  Christ's  words,  "  Without,  or  severed  from,  me  ye 
can  do  nothing."  *  Dead  orthodoxy  is  notoriously  impotent. 
Feeble,  timid,  torpid,  averse  to  any  thing  arduous,  heroic, 
stirring  in  thought  or  conduct  at  best,  it  becomes  at  last 
insincere  and  demoralizing :  salt  without  savor,  fit  only  to 
be  thrown  out  ;  worthless  vine-wood,  good  for  nothing  except 
for  fuel,  and  not  worth  much  even  for  that  purpose.  Here- 
sies, not  abiding  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  are  equally  helpless. 
At  first,  indeed,  they  possess  a  spurious  ephemeral  vitality, 
and  make  a  little  noise  in  the  world  ;  but  by  and  by  their 
leaf  begins  to  wither,  and  they  bring  forth  no  abiding  fruit. 

The  conception  of  a  dead  branch,  applied  to  individuals  as 
distinct  from  churches  or  the  religious  world  viewed  collec- 
tively, is  not  without  difficulty,    A  dead  branch  on  a  tree  was 

*  John  XV.  5. 


4i6  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

not  always  dead  :  it  was  produced  by  the  vital  force  of  the 
tree,  and  had  some  of  the  tree's  life  in  it.  Does  the  analogy 
between  natural  and  spiritual  branches  hold  at  this  point? 
Not  in  any  sense,  as  we  believe,  that  would  compromise 
the  doctrine  of  perseverance  in  grace,  nowhere  taught  more 
clearly  than  in  the  words  of  our  Lord.  At  the  same  time,  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  abortive  reli- 
gious experience.  There  are  blossoms  on  the  tree  of  life 
which  are  blasted  by  spring  frosts,  green  fruits  which  fall 
off  ere  they  ripen,  branches  which  become  sickly  and  die. 
Jonathan  Edwards,  a  high  Calvinist,  but  also  a  candid, 
shrewd  observer  of  facts,  remarks  :  "  I  cannot  say  that  the 
greater  part  of  supposed  converts  give  reason  by  their  con- 
versation to  suppose  that  they  are  true  converts.  The 
proportion  may  perhaps  be  more  truly  represented  by  the  pro- 
portion of  the  blossoms  on  a  tree  which  abide  and  come  to 
mature  fruit,  to  the  whole  number  of  blossoms  in  spring."  ' 
The  permanency  of  many  spiritual  blossoms  is  here  denied, 
but  the  very  denial  implies  an  admission  that  they  were 
blossoms. 

That  some  branches  should  become  unfruitful,  and  even 
die,  while  others  flourish  and  bring  forth  fruit,  is  a  great 
mystery,  whose  explanation  lies  deeper  than  theologians  of 
the  Arminian  school  are  willing  to  admit.  Yet,  while  this  is 
true,  the  responsibility  of  man  for  his  own  spiritual  character 
cannot  be  too  earnestly  insisted  on.  Though  the  Father,  as 
the  husbandman,  wields  the  pruning-knife,  the  process  of 
purging  cannot  be  carried  on  without  our  consent  and  co- 
operation. For  that  process  means  practically  the  removal 
of  moral  hinderances  to  life  and  growth, — the  cares  of  life, 
the  insidious  influence  of  wealth,  the  lusts  of  the  flesh, 
and  the  passions  of  the  soul,  —  evils  which  cannot  be  over- 
come unless  our  will  and  all  our  moral  powers  be  brought 
to  bear  against  them.  Hence  Jesus  lays  it  upon  His  disci- 
ples as  a  duty  to  abide  in  Him,  and  have  Him  abiding  in 
them,  and  resolves  the  whole  matter  at  last,  in  plain  terms, 
into  keeping  His  commandments.^     If   they  diligently  and 

'  See  memoir  by  Sereno   E.  Dwight,  prefixed  to  English  edition  of  the  Works  of 
Edwards,  in  two  volumes  :  vol.  i.  p.  clxxii. 
^  John  XV.  10. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Futtire  Apostles.        417 

faithfully  do  their  part,  the  divine  Husbandman,  He  assures 
them,  will  not  fail  to  give  them  liberally  all  things  needful 
for  the  most  abundant  fruitfulness.  "  Ye  shall  ask  what  ye 
will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you."  ' 

The  doom  of  branches  coming  short  in  either  of  the  two 
possible  ways,  is  very  plainly  declared  by  Jesus.  The  doom 
of  the  branch  which,  while  in  Him  structurally,  beareth  not 
fruit,  either  because  it  is  absolutely  dead  and  dry,  or  because 
it  is  afflicted  with  a  vice  which  makes  it  barren,  is  to  be 
taken  away  —  judicially  severed  from  the  tree.^  The  doom  of 
the  branch  which  zvill  not  abide  in  the  vine,  is  not  to  be  cut 
off, — for  that  it  does  itself,  —  but  to  be  thrown  out  of  the 
vineyard,  there  to  lie  till  it  be  withered,  and  at  length,  at  a 
convenient  season,  to  be  gathered,  along  with  all  its  self- 
willed,  erratic  brethren,  into  a  heap,  and  burned  in  a  bonfire 
like  the  dry  rubbish  of  a  garden.^ 

In  the  latter  portion  of  the  discourse  on  the  vine,-*  Jesus 
expresses  His  high  expectations  with  respect  to  the  fruitful- 
ness of  the  apostolic  branches,  and  suggests  a  variety  of 
considerations  which,  acting  on  the  minds  of  the  disciples  as 
motives,  might  lead  to  the  fulfilment  of  His  hopes.  As  to 
the  former.  He  gave  the  disciples  to  understand  that  He 
expected  of  them  not  only  fruit,  but  much  fruit,^  and  fruit 
not  only  abundant  in  quantity,  but  good  in  quality;^  fruit 
that  should  remain,  grapes  whose  juice  should  be  worthy 
of  preservation  as  wine  in  bottles ;  a  church  that  should 
endure  till  the  world's  end. 

These  two  requirements,  taken  together,  amount  to  a  very 
high  demand.  It  is  very  hard  indeed  to  produce  fruit  at 
once  abundant  and  enduring.  The  two  requirements  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  limit  each  other.  Aiming  at  high  quality  leads 
to  undue  thinning  of  the  clusters,  while  aiming  at  quantity 
may  easily  lead  to  deterioration  in  the  quality  of  the  whole. 
The  thing  to  be  studied  is  to  secure  as  large  an  amount  of 
fruit  as  is  consistent  with  permanence ;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  to  cultivate  excellence  as  far  as  is  consistent  with 
obtaining  a  fair  crop  which  will  repay  labor  and  expense. 
This  is,  so  to  speak,  the  ideal  theory  of  vine  culture ;  but  in 

»  Ver.  7.  3  Ver.  6.  s  Ver.  8. 

*  John  XV.  2.  *■  Vers.  8-17^  ^  Ver.  16. 


4 1 8  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

practice  we  must  be  content  with  something  short  of  the 
perfect  realization  of  our  theory.  We  cannot,  for  example, 
rigorously  insist  that  all  the  fruit  shall  be  such  as  can  endure. 
Many  fruits  of  Christian  labor  are  only  transient  means 
towards  other  fruits  of  a  permanent  nature ;  and  if  we  satisfy 
the  law  of  Christ  so  far  as  to  produce  much  fruit,  some  of 
which  shall  remain,  we  do  well.  The  permanent  portion 
of  a  man's  work  must  always  be  small  in  proportion  to  the 
whole.  At  highest,  it  can  only  bear  such  a  proportion  to 
the  whole  as  the  grape-juice  bears  to  the  grapes  out  of  which 
it  is  pressed.  A  small  cask  of  wine  represents  a  much  larger 
bulk  of  grapes  ;  and  in  like  manner  the  perennial  result  of  a 
Christian  life  is  very  inconsiderable  in  volume  compared  with 
the  mass  of  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds  of  which  that  life  was 
made  up.  One  little  book,  for  instance,  may  preserve  to  all 
generations  the  soul  and  essence  of  the  thoughts  of  a  most 
gifted  mind,  and  of  the  graces  of  a  noble  heart.  Witness 
that  wondrous  book  the  Pilgrini  s  Progress,  which  contains 
more  wine  in  it  than  may  be  found  in  the  ponderous  folios  of 
some  wordy  authors,  whose  works  are  but  huge  wine-casks 
with  very  little  wine  in  them,  and  sometimes  hardly  even  the 
scent  of  it. 

To  satisfy  these  two  requirements,  two  virtues  are  above 
all  needful,  viz.  diligence  and  patience,  —  the  one  to  insure 
quantity,  the  other  to  insure  superior  quality.  One  must 
know  both  how  to  labor  and  how  to  wait ;  never  idle,  yet 
never  hurrying.  Diligence  alone  will  not  suffice.  Bustling 
activity  does  a  great  many  things  badly,  but  nothing  well. 
On  the  other  hand,  patience  unaccompanied  by  diligence 
degenerates  into  indolence,  which  brings  forth  no  fruit  at 
all,  either  good  or  bad.  The  two  virtues  must  go  together  ; 
and  when  they  do,  they  never  fail  to  produce,  in  greater  or 
less  abundance,  fruit  that  remaineth  in  a  holy  exemplary  life 
whose  memory  is  cherished  for  generations,  in  an  apostolic 
church,  in  books  or  in  philanthropic  institutions,  in  the 
character  of  descendants,  scholars,  or  hearers. 

When  the  two  requirements  are  taken  as  applying  to  all 
believers  in  Christ,  the  term  "much"  must  be  understood 
relatively.  It  is  not  required  of  all  indiscriminately  to 
produce  an   absolutely  large  quantity   of  fruit,  but  only  of 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        419 

those  who,  like  the  apostles,  have  been  chosen  and  endowed 
to  occupy  distinguished  positions.  Of  him  to  whom  little 
is  given  shall  little  be  required.  For  men  of  few  talents  it  is 
better  not  to  attempt  much,  but  rather  to  endeavor  to  do  well 
the  little  for  which  they  have  capacity.  Aspiration  is  good 
in  the  abstract ;  but  to  aspire  to  exceed  the  appointed  dimen- 
sions of  our  career,  is  to  supply  a  new  illustration  of  the  old 
fable  of  the  froff  and  the  ox.  The  man  who  would  be  and 
do  more  than  he  is  fit  for,  is  worse  than  useless.  He  brings 
forth,  not  the  sweet,  wholesome  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  but  the 
inflated  fruits  of  vanity,  which,  like  the  apples  of  Sodom, 
are  fair  and  delicious  to  the  eye  and  soft  to  the  touch,  but 
are  yet  full  of  wind,  and,  being  pressed,  explode  like  a 
puff-ball' 

The  demand  for  much  fruit,  while  very  exacting  as  towards 
the  apostles,  to  whom  it  in  the  first  place  refers,  has  a  gracious 
aspect  towards  the  world.  The  fruit  which  Jesus  expected 
from  His  chosen  ones  was  the  conversion  of  men  to  the  faith 
of  the  gospel  —  the  ingathering  of  souls  into  the  kingdom  of 
God.  A  demand  for  much  fruit  in  this  sense  is  an  expres- 
sion of  good-will  to  mankind,  a  revelation  of  the  Saviour's 
loving  compassion  for  a  world  lying  in  sin,  and  error,  and 
darkness.  In  making  this  demand,  Jesus  says  in  effect  to 
His  apostles  :  Go  into  the  world,  bent  on  evangelizing  all 
the  nations  ;  be  fruitful  and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth, 
and  subdue  it.  Ye  cannot  bring  too  many  to  the  obedience 
of  faith  ;  the  greater  the  number  of  those  who  believe  on 
me  through  your  word,  the  better  I  shall  be  pleased.  We 
have  here,  in  short,  but  an  echo  of  the  impassioned  utter- 
ances of  that  earlier  occasion,  when  Jesus  welcomed  death 
as  the  condition  of  abundant  fruitfulness,  and  the  cross  as  a 
power  by  whose  irresistible  attraction  He  should  draw  all 
unto  Him.^ 

From  the  high  requirements  of  the  Lord,  we  pass  on  to 
the  arguments  with  which  He  sought  to  impress  on  the 
disciples  the  duty  of  bringing  forth  much  and  abiding  fruit. 
Of  these  there  are  no  less  than  six,  grouped  in  pairs.  The 
first  pair  we  find  indicated  in  the  words  :  '*  Herein  is  my 
Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit,  and  that  ye  may  be 

*  Robinson,  Biblical  Researches,  i.  523.  *  John  xii.  24,  33. 


420  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

my  disciples." '  In  other  words,  Jesus  would  have  His 
chosen  ones  remember  that  the  credit,  both  of  the  divine 
Husbandman,  and  of  Himself,  the  vine,  largely  depended  on 
their  behavior.  The  world  would  judge  by  results.  If  they, 
the  apostles,  abounded  in  fruitfulness,  it  would  be  remarked 
that  God  had  not  sent  Christ  into  the  world  in  vain  ;  and 
their  success  would  be  ascribed  to  Him  whose  disciples  they 
had  been.  If  they  failed,  men  would  say :  God  planted  a 
vine  which  has  not  thriven  ;  and  the  vine  produced  branches 
which  have  borne  no  fruit  ;  or  in  plain  terms,  Christ  chose 
agents  who  have  done  nothing. 

The  force  of  these  arguments  for  fruitfulness  is  more 
obvious  in  the  case  of  these  apostles,  the  founders  of  the 
Church,  than  in  reference  to  the  present  condition  of 
the  Church,  when  the  honor  of  Christ  and  of  God  the  Father 
seems  to  depend  in  a  very  small  measure  on  the  conduct  of 
individuals.  The  whole  stress  then  lay  on  eleven  men.  Now 
It  is  distributed  over  millions.  Nevertheless,  there  is  great 
need,  even  yet,  for  spiritually  fruitful  life  in  the  Church,  to 
uphold  the  honor  of  Christ's  name  ;  for  there  is  a  tendency 
at  the  present  time  to  look  on  Christianity  as  used  up.  The 
old  vine  stock  is  considered  by  many  to  be  effete,  and  past 
fruit-bearing  ;  and  a  new  plant  of  renown  is  called  for.  This 
idea  can  be  exploded  effectually  only  in  one  way,  viz.  by  the 
rising  up  of  a  generation  of  Christians  whose  life  shall 
demonstrate  that  the  "true  vine"  is  not  one  of  the  things 
that  wax  old  and  vanish  away,  but  possesses  eternal  vitality, 
sufficient  not  only  to  produce  new  branches  and  new  clusters, 
but  to  shake  itself  clear  of  dead  branches,  and  of  all  the 
moss  by  which  it  may  have  become  overgrown  in  the  course 
of  ages. 

A  second  pair  of  motives  to  fruitfulness  we  find  hinted  at 
in  the  words  :  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that 
my  joy  might  remain  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  might  be 
fulfilled."^  Jesus  means  to  say,  that  the  continuance  of  His 
joy  in  the  disciples,  and  the  completion  of  their  own  joy  as 
believers   in  Him,  depended  on  their   being  fruitful.      The 

'  John  XV.  8.     Vide  various  reading,  yivy)(j6i  instead  of  yev^treo-fle.     The  sense  is  the 
same  ultimately,  whichever  reading  we  prefer. 
^  John  XV.  II. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.       421 

emphasis  in  the  first  clause  lies  on  the  word  "  remain." 
Jesus  has  joy  in  His  disciples  even  now,  though  spiritually 
crude,  even  as  the  gardener  hath  joy  in  the  clusters  of  grapes 
when  they  are  green,  sour,  and  uneatable.  But  He  rejoices 
in  them  at  present,  not  for  what  they  are,  but  because  of  the 
promise  that  is  in  them  of  ripe  fruit.  If  that  promise  were 
not  fulfilled,  He  should  feel  as  the  gardener  feels  when  the 
blossom  is  nipped  by  frost,  or  the  green  fruit  destroyed  by 
mildew  ;  or  as  a  parent  feels  when  a  son  belies  in  his  man- 
hood the  bright  promise  of  his  youth.  He  can  bear  delay, 
but  He  cannot  bear  failure.  He  can  wait  patiently  till  the 
process  of  growth  has  passed  through  all  its  stages,  and  can 
put  up  with  all  the  unsatisfactory  qualities  of  immaturity,  for 
the  sake  of  what  they  shall  ripen  into.  But  if  they  never 
ripen,  —  if  the  children  never  become  men,  if  the  pupils 
never  become  teachers,  —  then  He  will  exclaim,  in  bitter 
disappointment  :  "  Woe  is  me !  my  soul  desired  ripe  fruit ; 
and  is  this  what  I  find  after  waiting  so  long  .''  " 

In  the  second  clause  the  stress  lies  on  the  word  "fulfilled." 
It  is  not  said  or  insinuated  that  a  Christian  can  have  no  joy 
till  his  character  be  matured  and  his  work  accomplished. 
The  language  of  Jesus  is  quite  compatible  with  the  assertion 
that  even  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  spiritual  life 
there  may  be  a  great,  even  passionate,  outburst  of  joy.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  that  language  plainly  implies  that  the  joy 
of  the  immature  disciple  is  necessarily  precarious,  and  that 
the  joy  which  is  stable  and  full  comes  only  with  spiritual 
maturity.  This  is  a  great  practical  truth,  which  it  concerns 
all  disciples  to  bear  in  mind.  Joy  in  the  highest  sense  is  one 
of  the  ripe  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  reward  of  persever- 
ance and  fidelity.  Rejoicing  at  the  outset  is  good,  so  far  as 
it  goes  ;  but  all  depends  on  the  sequel.  If  we  stop  short  and 
grow  not,  woe  to  us  ;  for  failure  in  all  things,  and  specially 
in  religion,  is  misery.  If  we  be  comparatively  unfruitful,  we 
may  not  be  absolutely  unhappy,  but  we  can  never  know  the 
fulness  of  joy  ;  for  it  is  only  to  the  faithful  servant  that 
the  words  are  spoken:  "Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord."  The  perfect  measure  of  bliss  is  for  the  soldier  who 
hath  won  the  victory,  for  the  reaper  celebrating  harvest- 
home,  for  the  athlete  who  hath  gained  the  prize  of  strength, 
skill,  and  swiftness. 


422  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

The  two  last  considerations  by  which  Jesus  sought  to 
impress  on  His  disciples  the  duty  of  being  fruitful,  were  — 
the  honorable  nature  of  their  apostolic  calling,  and  the  debt 
of  gratitude  they  owed  to  Him  who  had  called  them,  and 
who  was  now  about  to  die  for  them.  The  dignity  of  the 
apostleship,  in  contrast  to  the  menial  position  of  the  disciple. 
He  described  in  these  terms  :  "  Henceforth  I  call  you  not 
servants  ;  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth  : 
but  I  have  called  you  friends  ;  for  all  things  that  I  have 
heard  of  my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you."  '  In 
other  words,  the  disciples  had  been  apprentices,  the  apostles 
would  be  partners  :  the  disciples  had  been  as  government 
clerks  ;  the  apostles  would  be  confidential  ministers  of  the 
king :  the  disciples  had  been  pupils  in  the  school  of  Jesus  ; 
the  apostles  would  be  the  treasurers  of  Christian  truth,  the 
reporters  and  expositors  of  their  Master's  doctrine,  the  sole 
reliable  sources  of  information  concerning  the  letter  and 
spirit  of  His  teaching.  What  office  could  possibly  be  more 
important  than  theirs .''  and  how  needful  that  they  should 
realize  their  responsibilities  in  connection  with  it ! 

While  endeavoring  to  walk  worthy  of  so  high  a  vocation, 
it  would  become  the  apostles  also  to  bear  in  mind  their 
obligations  to  Him  who  had  called  them  to  the  apostolic 
office.  The  due  consideration  of  these  would  be  an  addi- 
tional stimulus  to  diligence  and  fidelity.  Hence  Jesus  is 
careful  to  impress  on  His  disciples  that  they  owe  all  they  are 
and  will  be  to  Him.  "  Ye  did  not  choose  me,  but  I  chose 
you,"  ^  He  tells  them.  He  wishes  them  to  understand  that 
they  had  conferred  no  benefit  on  Him  by  becoming  His  dis- 
ciples :  the  benefit  was  all  on  their  side.  He  had  raised 
them  from  obscurity  to  be  the  lights  of  the  world,  to  be  the 
present  companions  and  future  friends  and  representatives 
of  the  Christ.  Having  done  so  much  for  them.  He  was 
entitled  to  ask  that  they  would  earnestly  endeavor  to  realize 
the  end  for  which  He  had  chosen  them,  and  to  fulfil  the 
ministry  to  which  they  were  ordained. 

One  thing  more  is  noteworthy  in  this  discourse  on  the 
true  vine, — the  reiteration  of  the  commandment  to  love  one 
another.     At  the   commencement   of   the  farewell   address, 

*  John  XV.  15.  *  Ver.  16. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.       423 

Jesus  enjoined  on  the  disciples  brotherly  love  as  a  source  of 
consolation  under  bereavement ;  here  He  re-enjoins  it  once 
and  again  as  a  condition  of  fruitfulness.'  Though  He  does 
not  say  it  in  so  many  words,  He  evidently  means  the  disci- 
ples to  understand  that  abiding  in  each  other  by  love  is  just 
as  necessary  to  their  success  as  their  common  abiding  in 
Him  by  faith.  Division,  party  strife,  jealousy,  will  be  simply 
fatal  to  their  influence,  and  to  the  cause  they  represent. 
They  must  be  such  fast  friends  that  they  will  even  be  will- 
ing to  die  for  each  other.  Had  Christians  always  remem- 
bered the  commandment  of  love,  on  which  Christ  so  earnestly 
insisted,  what  a  different  history  the  Church  would  have  had  ! 
how  much  more  fruitful  she  would  have  been  in  all  the  great 
results  for  which  she  was  instituted ! 

Section  II.  —  Apostolic  Tribulations  and  Encouragements. 

John  xv.  18-27,  xvi.  1-15. 

From  apostolic  duties  Jesus  passed  on  to  speak  of  apos- 
tolic tribulations.  The  transition  was  natural  ;  for  all  great 
actors  in  God's  cause,  whose  fruit  remains,  are  sure  to  be 
more  or  less  men  of  sorrow.  To  be  hated  and  evil  entreated 
is  one  of  the  penalties  of  moral  greatness  and  spiritual  power ; 
or,  to  put  it  differently,  one  of  the  privileges  Christ  confers 
on  His  "friends." 

Hatred  is  very  hard  to  bear,  and  the  desire  to  escape  it  is 
one  main  cause  of  unfaithfulness  and  unfruitfulness.  Good 
men  shape  their  conduct  so  as  to  keep  out  of  trouble,  and 
through  excess  of  cowardly  prudence  degenerate  into  spir- 
itual nonentities.  It  was  of  the  first  importance  that  the 
apostles  of  the  Christian  faith  should  not  become  impotent 
through  this  cause.  For  this  reason  Jesus  introduces  the 
subject  of  tribulation  here.  He  would  fortify  His  disciples 
for  the  endurance  of  sufferings  by  speaking  of  them  before- 
hand. "These  things,"  saith  He,  in  the  course  of  His 
address  on  the  unpleasant  theme,  as  if  apologizing  for  its 
introduction,  "  have  I  spoken  unto  you  that  ye  should  not  be 
scandalized,"  ^  that  is,  be  taken  by  surprise  when  the  time  of 
trouble  came. 

*  Vers.  12,  ijr.  2  John  xvi.  i ;  see  also  ver.  4. 


424  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

To  nerve  the  young  soldiers  of  the  cross,  the  Captain  of 
salvation  has  recourse  to  various  expedients,  among  which 
the  first  is  to  tell  them,  without  disguise,  what  they  have  to 
expect,  that  familiarity  with  the  dark  prospect  may  make  it 
less  terrible.  Of  the  world's  hatred  Jesus  speaks  as  an 
absolutely  certain  matter,  not  even  deeming  it  necessary  to 
assert  its  certainty,  but  assuming  that  as  a  thing  of  course  : 
•'  If  the  world  hate  you  "  '  —  as  of  course  it  will.  Farther 
on  He  describes,  without  euphemism  or  circumlocution,  the 
kind  of  treatment  they  shall  receive  at  the  world's  hands  : 
"  They  shall  put  you  out  of  the  synagogues  ;  yea,  but  the 
time  Cometh,  that  whosoever  killeth  you  will  think  that  he 
offereth  service  unto  God."^  Harsh,  appalling  words  ;  but 
since  such  things  were  to  be,  it  was  well  to  know  the  worst. 

Jesus  further  tells  His  disciples  that  whatever  they  may 
have  to  suffer,  they  can  be  no  worse  off  than  He  has  been 
before  them.  "  If  the  world  hate  you,  ye  know  that  it  has 
hated  me  before  you."  Poor  comfort,  one  is  disposed  to  say; 
yet  it  is  not  so  poor  v/hen  you  consider  the  relative  position 
of  the  parties.  He  who  has  already  been  hated  is  the  Lord  ; 
they  who  are  to  be  hated  are  but  the  servants.  Of  this 
Jesus  reminds  His  disciples,  repeating  and  recalling  to  their 
remembrance  a  word  He  had  already  spoken  the  same  even- 
ing.^ The  consideration  ought  at  least  to  repress  murmur- 
ing ;  and,  duly  laid  to  heart,  it  might  even  become  a  source 
of  heroic  inspiration.  The  servant  should  be  ashamed  to 
complain  of  a  lot  from  which  his  Master  is  not,  and  does  not 
wish  to  be,  exempted ;  he  should  be  proud  to  be  a  companion 
in  tribulations  with  One  who  is  so  much  his  superior,  and 
regard  his  experience  of  the  cross  not  as  a  fate,  but  as  a 
privilege. 

A  third  expedient  employed  by  Jesus  to  reconcile  the  apos- 
tles to  the  world's  hatred,  is  to  represent  it  as  a  necessary 
accompaniment  of  their  election.'-  This  thought,  well  weighed, 
has  great  force.  Love  ordinarily  rests  on  a  community  of 
interest.     Men  love  those  who  hold  the  same  opinions,  occupy 

'  John  XV.  18. 

=>  John  xvi.  2 ;  so  in  R.  V.     The  idea  is  that  the  murderers  will  imagine  they  are 
offering  an  acceptable  religious  service  or  sacrifice  unto  God. 
3  John  XV.  20;  comp.  xiii.  16,  also  xii.  26. 
*  John  XV.  19. 


Dying  Ckai'-ge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        425 

the  same  position,  follow  the  same  fashions,  pursue  the  same 
ends  with  themselves  ;  and  they  regard  all  who  differ  from 
them  in  these  respects  with  indifference,  dislike,  or  positive 
animosity,  according  to  the  degree  in  which  they  are  made 
sensible  of  the  contrast.  Hence  arises  a  dilemma  for  the 
chosen  ones.  Either  they  must  forfeit  the  honor,  privileges, 
and  hope  of  their  election,  and  descend  into  the  dark  world 
which  is  without  God  and  without  hope ;  or  they  must  be 
content,  while  retaining  their  position  as  called  out  of  dark- 
ness, to  accept  the  drawbacks  which  adhere  to  it,  and  to  be 
hated  by  those  who  love  the  darkness  rather  than  the  light, 
because  their  life  is  evil.  What  true  child  of  light  will  hesi- 
tate in  his  choice  .'* 

To  show  the  disciples  that  they  have  no  alternative  but  to 
submit  patiently  to  their  appointed  lot  as  the  chosen  ones, 
Jesus  enters  yet  more  deeply  into  the  philosophy  of  the 
world's  hatred.  He  explains  that  what  in  the  first  place  will 
be  hatred  to  them,  will  mean  in  the  second  place  hatred  to 
Himself ;  and  in  the  last  place,  and  radically,  ignorance  of 
and  hostility  to  God  His  Father."  In  setting  forth  this 
truth,  He  takes  occasion  to  make  some  severe  reflections  on 
the  unbelieving  world  of  Judnsa,  in  which  He  had  Himself 
labored.  He  puts  the  worst  construction  on  its  unbelief ; 
declares  it  to  be  utterly  without  excuse ;  accuses  those  who 
have  been  guilty  of  it,  of  hating  Him  without  a  cause,  that 
is,  of  hating  one  whose  whole  character  and  conduct,  words 
and  works,  should  have  won  their  faith  and  love ;  and  in 
their  hatred  of  Him  He  sees  revealed  a  hatred  of  that  very 
God  for  whose  glory  they  professed  to  be  so  zealous.^ 

How  painful  is  the  view  here  given  of  the  world's  enmity 
to  truth  and  its  witnesses !  One  would  like  to  see,  in  the 
bitterness  with  which  the  messengers  of  truth  have  been 
received  (not  excepting  the  case  of  Jesus),  the  result  of  a 
pardonable  misunderstanding.  And  without  doubt  this  is 
the  origin  of  not  a  few  religious  animosities.  There  have 
been  many  sins  committed  against  the  Son  of  man,  and  those 
like-minded,  which  were  only  in  a  very  mitigated  degree  sins 
against  the  Holy  Ghost.  Were  it  otherwise,  alas  for  us  all ! 
For  who  has  not  persecuted  the  Son  of  man  or  His  interest, 

'  John  .XV.  31.  *  Vers.  22-25. 


426  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

cherishing  ill-feeling  and  uttering  bitter  words  against  His 
members,  if  not  against  Him  personally,  under  the  influence 
of  prejudice;  yea,  it  may  be,  going  the  length  of  inflicting 
material  injury  on  the  apostles  of  unfamiliar,  unwelcome 
truths,  in  obedience  to  the  blind  impulses  of  panic  fear  or 
selfish  passion  ? 

If  there  be  few  who  have  not  in  one  way  or  another  per- 
secuted, there  are  perhaps  also  few  of  the  persecuted  who 
have  not  taken  too  sombre  views  of  the  guilt  of  their  per- 
secutors. Men  who  suffer  for  their  convictions  are  greatly 
tempted  to  regard  their  opponents  as  in  equal  measure  the 
opponents  of  God.  The  wrongs  they  endure  provoke  them 
to  think  and  speak  of  the  wrong-doers  as  the  very  children 
of  the  devil.  Then  it  gives  importance  to  one's  cause,  and 
dignity  to  one's  sufferings,  to  conceive  of  the  former  as 
God's,  and  of  the  latter  as  endured  for  God's  sake.  Finally, 
broadly  to  state  the  question  at  stake  as  one  between  God's 
friends  and  God's  foes,  satisfies  both  the  intellect  and  the 
conscience,  —  the  former  demanding  a  status  qiicBstionis  which 
is  simple  and  easily  understood ;  the  latter,  one  which  puts 
you  obviously  in  the  right,  and  your  adversaries  obviously  in 
the  wrong. 

All  this  shows  that  much  candor,  humility,  and  patience  of 
spirit,  is  needed  before  one  can  safely  say,  "He  that  hateth 
me  hateth  God."  Nevertheless,  it  remains  true  that  a  man's 
real  attitude  towards  God  is  revealed  by  the  way  in  which  he 
treats  God's  present  work  and  His  living  servants.  On  this 
principle  Jesus  judged  His  enemies,  though  He  cherished  no 
resentment,  and  was  ever  ready  to  make  due  allowance  for 
ignorance.  In  spite  of  His  charity.  He  believed  and  said 
that  the  hostility  He  had  encountered  sprang  from  an  evil 
will,  and  a  wicked,  godless  heart.  He  had  in  view  mainly 
the  leaders  of  the  opposition  who  organized  the  mob  of  the 
ignorant  and  the  prejudiced  into  a  hostile  army.  These  men 
He  unhesitatingly  denounced  as  haters  of  God,  truth,  and 
righteousness;  and  He  pointed  to  their  treatment  of  Himself 
as  the  conclusive  evidence  of  the  fact.  His  appearance  and 
ministry  among  them  had  stripped  off  the  mask,  and  shown 
them  in  their  real  character  as  hypocrites,  pretending  to 
sanctity,   but  inwardly  full  of    baseness   and  impiety,  who 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.       427 

hated  genuine  goodness,  and  could  not  rest  till  they  had  got 
it  flung  out  of  the  world  and  nailed  to  a  cross.  With  the 
history  and  the  sayings  of  Christ  before  our  eyes,  we  must 
beware  lest  we  carry  apologies  for  unbelief  too  far. 

Jesus  having  spoken,  as  in  a  brief  digression,  of  His  bitter 
experience  in  the  past,  very  naturally  goes  on  next  to  express 
the  hope  which  He  cherishes  of  a  brighter  future.  Hitherto 
He  has  been  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  but  He  believes 
it  will  not  always  be  so.  The  world,  Jewish  and  Gentile,  will 
ere  long  begin  to  change  its  mind,  and  the  Crucified  One 
will  become  an  object  of  faith  and  reverence.  This  hope  He 
builds  on  a  strong  and  sure  foundation,  even  the  combined  tes- 
timony of  the  Spirit  of  truth  and  of  His  own  apostles.  "  But," 
saith  He,  His  face  brightening  as  He  speaks,  "  when  the 
Comforter  (of  whom  He  had  spoken  to  His  little  ones,  and  to 
whom  He  now  alludes  as  His  own  Comforter  not  less  than 
theirs)  is  come,  whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the  Father, 
even  the  Spirit  which  proceedeth  from  the  Father,  He  shall 
testify  of  me."  '  What  results  the  Spirit  would  bring  about 
by  His  testimony  He  does  not  here  state.  To  that  point  He 
speaks  shortly  after,  on  discovering  that  His  hearers  have 
not  apprehended  His  meaning,  or  at  least  have  failed  to  find 
in  His  words  any  comfort  for  themselves.  Meantime  He 
hastens  to  intimate  that  the  disciples  as  well  as  the  Spirit  of 
truth  will  have  a  share  in  the  honorable  work  of  redeeming: 
from  disgrace  their  Master's  name  and  character.  They  also 
should  bear  witness,  as  they  were  well  qualified  to  do,  having 
been  with  Him  from  the  beginning  of  His  ministry,^  and 
knowing  fully  His  doctrine  and  manner  of  life. 

In  this  future  witness-bearing  of  the  Spirit  and  of  the 
apostles,  Jesus  sought  comfort  to  His  own  heart  under  the 
depressing  weight  of  a  gloomy  retrospect,  and  the  immediate 
prospect  of  crucifixion.  But  not  the  less  did  He  mean  the 
disciples  also  to  seek  from  the  same  quarter  strength  to 
encounter  their  tribulations.  In  truth,  no  considerations 
could  tend  more  effectually  to  reconcile  generous  minds  to  a 

*  John  XV.  26. 

*  Ver.  27.  Hofmann  takes  ^apTvpetre  in  ver.  27  as  an  imperative:  And  do  ye  also 
bear  witness  of  me :  tell  the  world  what  I  am.  —  Schriftbeweis,  2te  Halfte,  2te  Abthei- 
lung,  p.  19, 


428  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

hard  lot,  than  those  implied  in  what  Jesus  had  just  said,  viz, 
that  the  apostles  would  suffer  in  a  cause  favored  by  Heaven, 
and  tending  to  the  honor  of  Him  whom  they  loved  more 
than  life.  Who  would  not  choose  to  be  on  the  side  for  which 
the  Divine  Spirit  fights,  even  at  the  risk  of  receiving  wounds  ? 
Who  would  not  be  happy  to  be  reproached  and  evil-entreated 
for  a  name  which  is  worthy  to  be  above  every  name,  espe- 
cially if  assured  that  the  sufferings  endured  contributed 
directly  to  the  exaltation  of  that  blessed  name  to  its  rightful 
place  of  sovereignty  ?  It  was  just  such  considerations  which 
more  than  anything  else  supported  the  apostles  under  their 
great  and  manifold  trials.  They  learned  to  say  :  "  For  Christ's 
sake  we  are  killed  all  the  day  long ;  we  are  accounted  as 
sheep  for  the  slaughter.  But  what  does  it  matter .''  The 
Church  is  spreading  ;  believers  are  multiplying  on  every  side, 
springing  up  an  hundred-fold  from  the  seed  of  the  martyrs' 
blood  ;  the  name  of  our  Lord  is  being  magnified.  We  will 
gladly  suffer,  therefore,  bearing  witness  to  the  truth." 

Having  premised  these  observations  concerning  the  aids 
to  endurance,  Jesus  proceeded  at  length  to  state  distinctly, 
in  words  already  quoted,  what  the  apostles  would  have 
to  endure.'  On  these  words  we  make  only  one  additional 
remark,  viz.,  that  the  disciples  would  learn  from  them  not 
only  the  nature  of  their  future  tribulations,  but  the  quarter 
whence  they  were  to  come.  The  world,  against  whose 
hatred  their  Master  forewarns  them  in  this  part  of  His  dis- 
course, is  not  the  irreligious,  sceptical,  easy-going,  gross- 
living  world  of  paganism.  It  is  the  world  of  antichristian 
Judaism  ;  of  synagogue-frequenting  men,  accustomed  to 
distinguish  themselves  from  "  the  world  "  as  the  people  of 
God,  very  zealous  after  a  fashion  for  God's  glory,  fanatically 
in  earnest  in  their  religious  opinions  and  practices,  utterly 
intolerant  of  dissent,  relentlessly  excommunicating  all  who 
deviated  from  established  belief  by  a  hair's-breadth,  and 
deeming  their  death  no  murder,  but  a  religious  service,  an 
acceptable  sacrifice  to  the  Almighty.  To  this  Jewish  world  is 
assigned  the  honor  of  representing  the  entire  kosinos  of  men 
alienated  from  God  and  truth  ;  and  if  hatred  to  the  good  be 
the  central  characteristic  of  worldliness,  the  honor  was  well 

*  John  xvi.  2. 


Dyi7tg  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        429 

earned,  for  it  was  among  the  Jews  that  the  power  of  hating 
attained  its  maximum  degree  of  intensity.  No  man  could 
hate  like  a  religious  Jew  of  the  apostolic  age :  he  was 
renowned  for  his  diabolic  capacity  of  hating.  Even  a  Roman, 
historian,  Tacitus,  commemorates  the  "hostile  odium"  of  the 
Jewish  race  against  all  mankind  ;  and  the  experience  of  the 
Christian  apostles  fully  justified  the  prominence  given  to 
the  Jew  by  Jesus  in  discoursing  on  the  world's  hatred.  It  was 
to  the  unbelieving  Jews  they  mainly  owed  their  knowledge 
of  what  the  world's  hatred  meant.  The  pagan  world  despised 
them  rather  than  hated  them.  The  Greek  laughed,  and  the 
Roman  passed  by  in  contemptuous  indifference,  or  at  most 
opposed  temperately,  as  one  who  would  rather  not.  But  the 
persevering,  implacable,  malignant  hostility  of  the  Jewish 
religionist!  —  it  was  bloodthirsty,  it  was  pitiless,  it  was 
worthy  of  Satan  himself.  Truly  might  Jesus  say  to  the  Jews, 
with  reference  thereto,  "  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and 
the  lusts  of  your  father  ye  will  do." 

What  a  strange  fruit  was  this  wicked  spirit  of  hatred  to 
grow  upon  the  goodly  vine  which  God  had  planted  in  the 
holy  land  !  Chosen  to  be  the  vehicle  of  blessing  to  the 
world,  Israel  ends  by  becoming  the  enemy  of  the  world, 
"contrary  to  all  men,"  so  as  to  provoke  even  the  humane  to 
regard  and  treat  her  as  a  nuisance,  whose  destruction  from 
the  face  of  the  earth  would  be  a  common  cause  of  congratu- 
lation. Behold  the  result  of  election  abused !  Peculiar 
favors  minister  to  pride,  instead  of  stirring  up  the  favored 
ones  to  devote  themselves  to  their  high  vocation  as  the  bene- 
factors of  mankind ;  and  a  divine  commonwealth  is  turned 
into  a  synagogue  of  Satan,  and  God's  most  deadly  foes  are 
those  of  His  own  house.  Alas  !  the  same  phenomenon  has 
re-appeared  in  the  Christian  Church.  The  world  that  is  most 
opposed  to  Christ,  Antichrist  itself,  is  to  be  found  not  in 
heathendom,  but  in  Christendom ;  not  among  the  irreligious 
and  the  sceptical,  but  among  those  who  account  themselves 
the  peculiar  people  of  God. 

The  announcement  made  by  Jesus  concerning  their  future 
tribulations,  produced,  as  was  to  be  expected,  a  great  sensa- 
tion among  the  disciples.  The  dark  prospect  revealed  by  the 
momentary  lifting  of  the  veil  utterly  appalled  them.     Conster- 


430  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

nation  appeared  in  their  faces,  and  sorrow  filled  their  hearts. 
To  be  forsaken  by  their  Master  was  bad  enough,  but  to  be 
left  to  such  a  fate  was  still  worse,  they  thought.  Jesus 
noticed  the  impression  He  had  produced,  and  did  what  He 
could  to  remove  it,  and  help  the  poor  disciples  to  recover 
their  composure. 

First,  He  makes  a  sort  of  apology  for  speaking  of  such 
painful  matters,  to  this  effect :  "  I  would  gladly  have  been 
silent  concerning  your  coming  troubles,  and  I  have  been 
silent  as  long  as  possible ;  but  I  could  not  think  of  leaving 
you  without  letting  you  know  what  was  before  you,  which 
accordingly  I  have  done  now,  as  the  hour  of  my  departure  is 
at  hand." '  The  kind  feeling  which  dictated  the  state- 
ment thus  paraphrased  is  manifest ;  but  the  statement  itself 
appears  inconsistent  with  the  records  of  the  other  Gospels, 
from  which  we  learn  that  the  hardships  connected  with  disci- 
pleship  in  general,  and  with  the  apostleship  in  particular, 
were  a  frequent  subject  of  remark  in  the  intercourse  of  Jesus 
with  the  twelve.  The  difficulty  has  been  variously  dealt 
with  by  commentators.  Some  admit  the  contradiction,  and 
assume  that  such  earlier  discourses  concerning  persecutions 
as  are  found  —  e.g.  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  Matthew  —  are  in- 
troduced by  the  evangelist  out  of  their  chronological  order. 
Others  insist  on  the  difference  between  the  earlier  utterances 
and  the  present  in  respect  to  plainness:  representing  the 
former  as  vague  and  general,  like  the  early  illusions  made  by 
Jesus  to  His  own  death  ;  the  latter  as  particular,  definite,  and 
unmistakeable,  like  the  announcements  which  Jesus  made 
respecting  His  passion  towards  the  end  of  His  ministry.  A 
third  class  of  expositors  make  the  novelty  of  this  discourse 
on  the  world's  hatred  lie  in  the  explanation  given  therein  of 
its  cause  and  origin;^  while  a  fourth  class  insist  that  the 
grand  distinction  between  this  discourse  and  all  that  went 
before  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  it  is  a  farewell  discourse, 
and  therefore  one  which,  owing  to  the  situation,  made  quite 
a  novel  impression. ^ 

Where  so  much  difference  of  opinion  prevails,  it  would  be 
unbecoming  to  dogmatize.  Our  own  opinion,  however,  is, 
that   the   peculiarity   of  the  present   utterance   concerning 

*  John  xvi.  4.  *  Stier.  '  Luthardt. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        431 

apostolic  tribulations  lies  in  the  manner  or  style,  rather  than 
in  the  matter.  On  former  occasions,  especially  on  the 
occasion  of  the  trial  mission  of  the  twelve,  Jesus  had  said 
much  the  same  things  :  He  had  spoken  of  scourging  in  syna- 
gogues at  least,  if  not  of  excommunication  from  them,  and 
had  alluded  to  death  by  violence  as  at  least  a  possible  fate 
for  the  apostles  of  the  kingdom.  But  He  had  said  all  things 
in  a  different  way.  There  He  preacJicd  concerning  persecu- 
tion ;  here  He  makes  an  awfully  real  aiinouncemeut.  There 
is  all  the  difference  between  that  discourse  and  the  present 
communication  that  there  would  be  between  a  sermon  on 
the  text,  "  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,"  and  a 
special  intimation  to  an  individual,  "  This  year  thou  shalt 
die."  The  sermon  may  say  far  more  about  death  than  the 
intimation,  but  in  how  different  a  manner,  and  with  what 
a  different  effect  ! 

The  next  expedient  for  curing  grief  to  which  Jesus  has 
recourse  is  friendly  remonstrance.  He  gently  taunts  the 
disciples  for  their  silence,  which  He  regards  as  a  token  of 
hopeless,  despairing  sorrow.  "  But  now  I  go  my  way  to  Him 
that  sent  me  ;  and  none  of  you  asketh  me.  Whither  goest 
Thou }  But  because  I  have  said  these  things  unto  you, 
sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart."  '  "Why,"  He  means  to  say, 
"are  you  so  utterly  cast  down  .-^  have  you  no  questions  to 
ask  me  about  my  departure  .''  You  were  full  of  questions  at 
the  first.  You  were  curious  to  know  whither  I  was  going. 
I  would  be  thankful  to  have  that  question  asked  over  again, 
or  indeed  to  have  any  question  put  to  me,  whether  wise  or 
foolish.  The  most  childish  interrogations  would  be  better 
than  the  gloom  of  speechless  despair." 

As  the  question,  "Whither  goest  Thou.?"  had  been  suffi- 
ciently answered  already,  it  might  have  been  superfluous  to 
ask  it  again.  There  were,  however,  other  questions,  neither 
superfluous  nor  impertinent,  which  the  disciples  might  have 
taken  occasion  to  ask  from  the  communication  just  made  to 
them  concerning  their  future  lot,  and  which  they  probably 
would  have  asked  had  they  not  been  so  depressed  in  spirit. 
"  If,"  they  might  have  said,  "  it  is  to  fare  so  ill  with  us  after 

'  John  xvi.  5, 6.  Olshausen  joins  the  first  part  of  rer.  5  to  the  preceding,  and  supposes 
a  pause  after  the  words  were  uttered. 


432  The  Traijiing  of  the  Twelve. 

you  go,  why  do  not  you  stay  ?  While  you  have  been  with 
us  you  have  sheltered  us  from  the  world's  hatred,  and  you 
tell  us  that  when  you,  our  leader  and  head,  are  gone,  that 
hatred  will  be  directed  against  us,  your  followers.  If  so, 
how  can  we  possibly  regard  your  departure  as  any  thing  but 
a  calamity  ? " 

These  unspoken  questions  Jesus  proceeds  in  the  next  place 
to  answer.  He  boldly  asserts  that  whatever  they  may  think, 
it  is  for  their  good  that  He  should  go  away.'  The  assertion, 
true  in  other  respects  also,  is  made  with  special  reference 
to  the  work  of  the  apostleship.  In  the  early  part  of  His 
farewell  address,  Jesus  had  explained  to  His  disciples  how 
His  departure  would  affect  them  as  pi-ivate  persons  or  indi- 
vidual believers.  He  had  assured  them  that  when  "  the 
Comforter "  came.  He  would  make  them  feel  as  if  their 
departed  Master  were  returned  to  them  again  ;  yea,  as  if  He 
were  more  really  present  to  them  than  ever  He  had  been. 
Here  His  object  is  to  show  the  bearing  of  His  departure  on 
their  work  as  apostles,  and  to  make  them  understand  that 
His  going  away  would  be  good  for  them  as  public  func- 
tionaries. 

The  proof  of  this  assertion  follows  ;  ^  its  substance  is  to 
this  effect :  "  When  I  leave  you  and  go  to  my  father,^  two 
desiderata  of  essential  importance  for  the  success  of  your 
work  as  apostles  will  be  supplied.  Then  you  will  have  recep- 
tive hearers,  and  you  yourselves  will  be  competent  to  preach. 
Neither  of  these  desiderata  exists  for  the  present.  The 
world  has  rejected  me  and  my  words;  and  you,  though  sin- 
cere, are  very  ignorant,  and  understand  not  what  I  have 
taught  you.  After  my  ascension,  there  will  be  a  great  alter- 
ation in  both  respects  :  the  world  will  be  more  ready  to 
hear  the  truth,  and  you  will  be  able  to  declare  it  intelligently. 
The  change  cannot  come  till  then  ;  for  it  will  be  brought 
about  by  the  work  of  the  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  and 
He  cannot  come  till  I  go." 

In  the  section  of  His  discourse  of  which  we  have  given 
the  general  meaning,  Jesus  sketches  in  rapid  outline,  first  the 
Spirit's  converting  work  in  the  world,*  and  then  His  enlight- 

*  Jolin  xvi.  7.  3   iTre'ASu),  nopevBo). 

*  John  xvi.  7-15.  *  John  xvi.  8-11. 


Dymg  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        433 

ening  work  in  the  minds  of  the  apostles/  The  former  He 
describes  in  these  terms  :  "  Wlien  He  is  come,  He  will  con- 
vince (produce  serious  thought  and  conviction  in)  the  world 
about  sin,  righteousness,  and  judgment."  Then  He  explains 
in  what  special  aspects  the  Spirit  will  bring  these  great  moral 
realities  before  men's  minds  ;  and  here  He  but  expounds  what 
He  has  already  said  concerning  the  Spirit's  testimony  in  His 
own  behalf.2  He  tells  His  disciples  that  the  Comforter,  wit- 
nessing for  Himself  in  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men,  will 
convince  them  of  sin  specially  as  unbelievers  in  Him  ;  of 
righteousness  in  connection  with  His  departure  to  the 
Father;  and  of  judgment  (to  come),  because  the  prince  of 
this  world  is  judged  already  (that  is,  shall  have  been,  when 
the  Comforter  commences  His  work). 

The  second  and  third  explanatory  remarks  are  enigmatical, 
and  instead  of  throwing  light  on  the  subject  in  hand,  seem 
rather  to  involve  it  in  darkness.  They  have  given  rise  to  so 
much  dispute  and  diversity  of  opinion,  that  to  expatiate  on 
them  were  vain,  and  to  dogmatize  presumption.  One  great 
point  of  dispute  has  been  :  What  righteousness  does  Jesus 
allude  to, — His  own,  or  that  of  sinners  .-*  Does  He  mean  to 
say  that  the  Spirit  will  convince  the  world,  after  He  has  left 
the  earth,  that  He  was  a  righteous  man  .''  or  does  He  mean 
that  the  Spirit  will  teach  men  to  see  in  the  Crucified  One  the 
Lord  their  righteousness  .-•  Our  own  opinion  is,  that  He  means 
neither,  and  both.  Righteousness  is  to  be  taken  in  its  un- 
defined generality:  and  the  idea  is,  that  the  Spirit  will  make 
use  of  the  exaltation  of  Christ  to  make  men  think  earnestly 
on  the  zvhole  siibjcct  of  righteousness  ;  to  show  them  the  utterly 
rotten  character  of  their  own  righteousness,  whose  crowning 
feat  was  to  crucify  Jesus  ;  to  bring  home  to  their  hearts  the 
solemn  truth  that  the  Crucified  One  was  the  Just  One  ;  and 
ultimately  to  put  them  on  a  track  for  finding  in  Jesus  their 
true  righteousness,  by  raising  in  their  minds  the  question, 
Why  then  did  the  Just  One  suffer  } 

The  meaning  of  the  third  explanatory  remark  we  take  to 
be  to  this  effect :  "When  I  am  crucified,  the  god  of  this  world 
shall  have  been  judged.  Both  this  world  and  its  god,  indeed, 
but  the  latter  only  finely  and  irreversibly,  —  the  world,  though 

*  John  xvi.  12-15.  *  John  XV.  26. 


434  1^^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

presently  following  Satan,  being  convertible.  When  I  am 
ascended,  the  Spirit  will  use  the  then  past  judgment  of 
Satan  to  convince  men  of  a  judgment  to  come  ;  teaching 
them  to  see  therein  a  prophecy  of  a  final  separation  between 
me  and  all  who  obstinately  persist  in  unbelief,  and  so,  by  the 
terrors  of  perdition,  bringing  them  to  repentance  and  faith." 

What  Jesus  says  of  the  enlightening  work  of  the  Spirit  on 
the  minds  of  the  disciples,  amounts  to  this  :  He  will  fit  you  to 
be  intelligent  and  trustworthy  witnesses  to  me,  and  to  be 
guides  of  the  Church  in  doctrine  and  practice.  For  these 
high  purposes  two  things  would  be  necessary  :  that  they 
should  understand  Christian  truth,  and  that  they  should  pos- 
sess the  gift  of  prophecy,  so  as  to  be  able  to  fortell  in  its 
general  outlines  the  future,  for  the  warning  and  encourage- 
ment of  believers.  Both  these  advantages  Jesus  promises 
them  as  fruits  of  the  Spirit's  enlightening  influence.  He 
assures  them  that,  when  the  Comforter  is  come,  He  will 
guide  them  unto  all  the  truth  He  had  himself  taught  them, 
recalling  things  forgotten,  explaining  things  not  understood, 
developing  germs  into  a  system  of  doctrine  which  was  en- 
tirely above  their  present  power  of  comprehension.'  He 
further  informs  them  that  this  same  Spirit  will  show  them 
things  to  come,  —  such  as  the  rise  of  heresies  and  apostasies, 
•the  coming  of  Antichrist,  the  conflict  between  light  and 
darkness,  and  their  final  issue,  as  described  in  the  Book  of 
Revelation. 

Such  were  the  changes  to  be  brought  about  in  the  world 
and  in  the  disciples  by  the  advent  of  the  Comforter.  Great 
beneficent  changes  truly ;  but  why  cannot  they  take  place 
before  yesns  leaves  the  world?  The  answer  to  this  question 
is  hinted  at  by  Jesus,  when  He  says  of  the  Spirit :  "  He  shall 
not  speak  of  Himself,"^  and  "  He  shall  receive  of  mine,  and 
shall  show  it  unto  you."  ^  The  personal  ministry  of  Jesus 
behoved  to  come  to  an  end  before  the  ministry  of  the  Spirit 
began,  because  the  latter  is  merely  an  application  of  the 
former.  The  Spirit  does  not  speak  as  from  Himself :  He 
simply  takes  of  the  things  relating  to  Christ,  and  shows 
them  to  men, — to  unbelievers,  for  their  conviction  and  con- 
version ;  to  believers,  for  their  enlightenment  and  sanctifica- 

'  John  xvi.  12.  *  Ver.  13.  ^  Ver.  14. 


Dying   Chaj'-ge  to  the  Futiii'e  Apostles.        435 

tion.  But  till  Jesus  had  died,  risen,  ascended,  the  essentials 
about  Him  would  remain  incomplete  ;  the  materials  for  a 
gospel  would  not  be  ready  to  hand.  There  could  be  neither 
apostolic  preaching,  nor  the  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  with 
power  accompanying  it.  It  must  be  possible  for  the  apostles 
and  the  Spirit  to  bear  witness  of  One  who,  though  perfectly 
holy,  had  been  crucified,  to  show  the  world  the  heinousness 
of  its  sin.  They  must  have  it  in  their  power  to  declare  that 
God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus  whom  they  have  crucified 
both  Lord  and  Christ,  exalted  to  heavenly  glory,  before  their 
hearers  can  be  pricked  in  the  heart,  and  made  to  exclaim  in 
terror,  "  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  .''  "  Only  after 
Jesus  had  ascended  to  glory,  and  become  invisible  to  mortal 
eyes,"  could  men  be  made  to  understand  that  He  was  not 
only  personally  a  righteous  man,  but  the  Lord  their  right- 
eousness. Then  the  question  would  force  itself  upon  their 
minds  :  What  could  be  the  meaning  of  the  Lord  of  glory 
becoming  man,  and  dying  on  the  cross  }  and  by  the  teaching 
of  the  Spirit  they  would  learn  to  reply,  not  as  in  the  days  of 
their  ignorance,  "  He  suffers  for  His  own  offences,"  but, 
"  Surely  He  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows  ; 
He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions." 

Finally,  not  till  the  apostles  were  in  a  position  to  say  that 
their  Lord  was  gone  to  heaven,  could  they  bring  to  bear  witt 
full  effect  on  the  impenitent  the  doctrine  of  a  judgment 
Then  they  could  say,  Christ  is  seated  on  the  heavenly  throne 
a  Prince  and  a  Saviour  to  all  who  believe,  but  also  a  Judge 
to  those  who  continue  in  rebellion  and  unbelief.  "  Kiss  the 
Son,  lest  He  be  angry,  and  ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  His 
wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed  are  all  they  that  put 
their  trust  in  Him." 

All  this  the  disciples  for  the  present  did  not  understand. 
Of  the  Spirit's  work  on  the  conscience  of  the  world  and  in 
their  own  minds,  and  of  the  relation  in  which  the  third  per- 
son of  the  Trinity^  stood  to  the  second,  they  had  simply  no 
conception.     Hence  Jesus  does  not  enlarge  on  these  topics, 

'  Ver.  10:  "And  ye  see  me  no  more,"  =  I  am  no  longer  seen  on  earth;  suggesting  the 
idea  that  earth  was  Christ's  place  of  sojourn,  heaven  His  home,  therefore  inferentially 
asserting  His  divinity. 

^  The  personality  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  assumed  throughout  this  discourse.     See  ver. 

13,  EKElfO?. 


436  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

but  restricts  Himself  to  what  is  barely  necessary  to  indicate 
the  truth.  But  the  time  came  when  the  disciples  did  get  to 
understand  these  matters,  and  then  they  fully  appreciated 
the  eulogium  of  their  Lord  on  the  dispensation  of  the  Com- 
forter. Then  they  acknowledged  that  the  assertion  was 
indeed  true  that  it  was  expedient  for  them  that  He  should  go 
away,  and  smiled  when  they  remembered  that  they  had  once 
thought  otherwise  ;  yea,  they  perceived  that  the  word  "  expe- 
dient," far  from  being  too  strong,  was  rather  a  weak  expres- 
sion, chosen  in  gracious  accommodation  to  their  feeble  spir- 
itual capacity,  instead  of  the  stronger  one  "indispensable." 
Then  they  felt,  as  we  imagine  good  men  feel  about  death 
when  they  have  got  to  heaven.     On  this  side  the  grave 

"  Timorous  mortals  start  and  shrink 
To  cross  the  narrow  sea; 
And  linger,  shivering,  on  the  brink. 
And  fear  to  launch  away." 

But  to  those  on  the  other  side  how  insignificant  a  matter 
must  death  seem,  and  how  strange  must  it  appear  to  their 
purged  vision,  that  it  should  ever  have  been  needful  to  prove 
to  them  that  it  was  better  to  depart  to  heaven  than  to  remain 
in  a  world  of  sin  and  sorrow ! 

Section  III.  — The  Little  While,  and  the  End  of  the  Discourse. 

John  xvi.  16-33. 

The  eulogium  on  the  dispensation  of  the  Comforter  winds 
up  with  a  paradox.  Jesus  has  been  telling  His  disciples 
that  His  departure  will  be  beneficial  for  them  in  various 
respects,  but  particularly  in  this,  that  they  shall  attain  there- 
after to  a  clear,  full  comprehension  of  Christian  truth.  In 
effect,  what  He  has  said  is  :  It  is  good  for  you  that  I  go,  for 
not  till  I  become  invisible  physically,  shall  I  be  visible  to 
you  spiritually :  I  must  be  withdrawn  from  the  eye  of  your 
flesh,  before  I  can  be  seen  by  the  eye  of  your  mind.  Hence 
He  fitly  ends  His  discourse  on  the  Comforter  by  repeating 
a  riddle,  which  He  had  propounded  in  a  less  pointed  form 
in  His  first  farewell  address:  "A  little  while,  and  ye  no 
longer  see  me  :  and  again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me  ; 
because  I  go  to  the  Father." 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        ^^y 

This  riddle,  like  all  riddles,  is  very  simple  when  we  have 
the  key  to  it.  As  in  that  other  paradoxical  saying  of  Jesus, 
concerning  losing  and  saving  life,'  the  principal  word,  "see," 
is  used  in  two  senses,^  —  first  in  a  physical,  and  then,  in 
the  second  clause,  in  a  spiritual  sense.  Hence  the  possibility 
of  one  event,  the  departure  of  Christ  to  the  Father,  becoming 
a  cause  at  once  of  not  seeing  and  of  seeing.  When  Jesus 
ascended  to  heaven,  the  disciples  saw  Him  no  more  as  they 
saw  Him  then  in  the  supper-chamber.  But  immediately 
thereafter  they  began  to  see  Him  in  another  way.  The  idea 
of  His  life  did  sweetly  creep  into  the  eye  and  prospect  of 
their  soul.  And  the  sight  was  satisfying:  it  justified  the 
glowing  language  in  which  their  Master  had  spoken  of  it 
before  He  left  them.  Though  they  saw  Him  no  more  in 
the  flesh,  yet,  believing  in  Him,  to  quote  the  words  of  the 
Apostle  Peter,  they  rejoiced  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full 
of  glory. 

For  the  present,  however,  the  disciples  have  no  conception 
of  the  vision  and  the  joy  which  await  them.  Their  Lord's 
words  have  no  meaning  for  them  ;  they  are  a  riddle  indeed, 
yea,  a  contradiction.  Standing  around  the  inspired  speaker, 
they  whisper  remarks  to  each  other  concerning  the  strange 
enigmatical  words  He  has  just  uttered  about  a  little  while, 
and  about  seeing  and  not  seeing,  and  about  going  to  the 
Father.  The  riddle  has  evidently  served  one  purpose  at 
least  :  it  has  roused  the  disciples  out  of  the  stupor  of  grief, 
and  awakened  for  a  little  their  curiosity.  That,  however,  is 
the  amount  of  the  service  it  has  rendered  :  it  has  created 
surprise,  but  it  has  conveyed  no  sense ;  the  hearers  are 
constrained  to  confess,  "We  cannot  tell  what  He  saith."  ^ 
Yet  we  observe,  they  ask  no  questions  of  Jesus.  They  would 
like  to  do  so  at  this  point,  but  they  do  not  feel  able  to  take 
the  liberty ;  restrained,  we  imagine,  by  respect  for  the  lofty 
sustained  tone  in  which  their  Master  has  been  addressing 
them  in  the  second  part  of  His  farewell  discourse,  Jesus, 
hov/ever,  reads  a  question  in  their  countenances,  and  kindly 
favors  them  with  a  word  of  explanation.-* 

That  word   does  not,  strictly  speaking,  explain  the  riddle. 

'  Matt.  xvi.  25.  3  John  xvi.  18. 

^  There  are  two  words  in  the  Greek  —  flewpeiTc,  o\fiea-9e,  *  Vers,  19-21. 


438  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Jesus  does  not  tell  His  disciples  what  the  little  while  means, 
nor  does  He  distinguish  the  two  kinds  of  seeing  :  He  leaves 
the  enigma  to  be  solved,  as  it  only  can  be,  by  experience. 
All  He  attempts  is  to  make  it  conceivable  how  the  same 
event  which  in  immediate  prospect  causes  sorrow,  may,  after 
its  occurrence,  be  a  cause  of  joy.  For  this  purpose  He  com- 
pares the  crisis  through  which  the  disciples  are  about  to 
pass,  not,  as  we  have  already  done,  to  the  solemn  event  by 
which  a  Christian  makes  his  exit  out  of  this  world  into  a 
better,  but  to  the  event  with  which  human  life  begins.' 

The  comparison  is  apt  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  intro- 
duced ;  but  we  cannot  with  certainty,  not  to  say  propriety, 
pursue  it  into  detail.  Interpreters  who  aspire  to  understand 
all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge,  have  raised  many  questions 
thereanent,  such  as  :  Who  is  represented  by  the  mother  in 
the  parable  —  Christ,  or  the  disciples  .''  When  does  the 
sorrow  begin,  and  when  and  in  what  does  it  end .?  The 
answers  given  to  these  questions  are  very  various.  Accord- 
ing to  one,  Jesus  Himself  is  the  new  man,  and  the  sorrow  He 
alludes  to  is  His  own  death,  viewed  as  the  redemption  of 
sinful  humanity.  Another  will  have  it  that  Jesus  represents 
His  own  disciples  as  with  child  of  a  spiritual  Christ,  who 
will  be  born  when  the  Comforter  comes.  Most  make  the 
time  of  sorrow  begin  with  Christ's  passion,  but  there  is 
much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  when  it  ends.  One  makes 
the  joy  date  from  the  resurrection,  which,  after  a  little  while 
of  painful  separation,  restored  Jesus  to  His  sorrowing  disci- 
ples ;  another  extends  the  "  little  while  "  to  Pentecost,  when 
the  Church  was  born  into  the  world  a  new  man  in  Christ  ; 
a  third  makes  the  little  while  a  long  while  indeed,  by  making 
the  words  "I  will  see  you  again"  refer  to  Christ's  second 
coming,  and  to  the  blessed  era  when  the  new  heavens  and 
the  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness,  for  which  the 
whole  creation  groans,  shall  at  length  come  into  being.^ 

We  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  pronounce  on  these  dis- 
puted points.  As  little  do  we  think  it  necessary  to  give 
the  analogy  a  doctrinal  turn,  and  find  in  it  a  reference  to 

'  Vers.  20-22. 

-  See,  for  the  various  opinions  on  these  points,  Stier,  Luthardt,  Lange,  Olshausen, 
Alford,  etc. 


Dying   Charge  to  the  Ftiture  Apostles.        439 

regeneration.  What  Jesus  has  in  view  throughout  this  part 
of  His  discourse  is  not  the  new  birth,  either  of  the  disciples 
or  of  the  Church,  but  the  spiritual  illumination  of  the  apostles  ; 
their  transition  from  the  chrysalis  into  the  winged  state, 
from  an  ignorant  implicit  faith  to  a  faith  developed  and  in- 
telligent ;  their  initiation  into  the  highest  grade  of  the 
Christian  mysteries,  when  they  should  see  clearly  things 
presently  unintelligible,  and  be  Epopts  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.'  For  them,  as  for  Christians  generally  (for  there  is 
a  sense  in  which  the  experience  of  the  apostles  repeats  itself 
in  the  spiritual  history  of  many  believers),  this  crisis  is  not 
less  important  than  the  initial  one  by  which  men  pass  from 
death  into  life.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  be  regenerated,  but  it 
is  a  not  less  great  thing  to  be  illuminated.  It  is  a  great, 
ever-memorable  time  that,  when  Christ  first  enters  the  heart, 
an  object  of  faith  and  love;  but  it  is  an  equally  important 
crisis  when  Christ,  after  having  departed  perhaps  for  a  sea- 
son, leaving  the  mind  clouded  with  doubt  and  the  heart 
oppressed  with  sorrow,  returns  never  to  depart,  driving  away 
wintry  frosts  and  darkness,  and  bringing  light,  gladness, 
summer  warmth,  and  spiritual  fruitfulness  to  the  soul.  Verily 
one  might  be  content  that  Christ,  as  he  first  knew  Him, 
should  depart,  for  the  sake  of  having  his  sorrow  after  a  little 
while  turned  into  such  joy! 

Having  shown,  by  a  familiar  and  pathetic  analogy,  the 
possibility  of  present  sorrow  being  transmuted  into  great 
joy,  Jesus  proceeds  next  to  describe,  by  a  few  rapid  strokes, 
the  characteristics  of  the  state  at  which  the  apostles  will  ere 
long  arrive.^  First  among  these  He  mentions  an  enlarged 
comprehension  of  trnth  ;  for  it  is  to  this  He  refers  when  He 
says,  "  In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  me  nothing."  He  means 
that  they  will  then  ask  Him  no  questions  such  as  they  had 
been  asking  all  along,  and  especially  that  night,  —  child's 
questions,  asked  with  a  child's  curiosity,  and  also  with  a 
child's  incapacity  to  understand  the  answers.  The  question- 
ing spirit  of  childhood  would  be  replaced  by  the  understanding 

'  One  who  had  been  introduced  into  the  highest  (third)  grade  of  the  Eleusinian 
mysteries  was  called  €7rdn-Tr)v.  See  Plato,  Convivhtm  (Socrates  reporting  discourse  of 
Diotime  on  'Epu?). 

^  John  xvi.  23,  24. 


440  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

spirit  of  manhood.  The  truths  of  the  kingdom  would  no 
longer,  as  heretofore,  be  inscrutable  mysteries  to  them  :  they 
should  have  an  unction  from  the  Holy  One,  and  should  know 
all  things. 

Some  think  this  too  much  to  be  said  of  any  Christian,  not 
even  excepting  the  apostles  themselves,  while  in  the  earthly 
state,  and  therefore  argue  that  the  day  alluded  to  here  is  that 
of  Christ's  second  coming,  or  of  His  happy  reunion  with  His 
own  in  the  kingdom  of  His  Father.'  And  without  doubt  it 
is  true  that  in  that  final  day  only  shall  Christians  know  as 
they  are  known,  and  have  absolutely  no  need  to  ask  any 
questions.     Then, 

"  'Midst  power  that  knows  no  limit. 
And  wisdom  free  from  bound, 
The  beatific  vision 

Sliall  glad  the  saints  around," 

as  it  can  never  gladden  them  here  below.  Still,  the  statement 
before  us  has  a  relative  truth  in  reference  to  this  present 
life.  While,  in  comparison  with  the  perfect  state,  the  clear- 
est vision  of  any  Christian  is  but  a  seeing  in  a  glass  darkly, 
the  degree  of  illumination  attained  by  the  apostles  might  be 
described,  without  exaggeration,  in  contrast  to  their  ignor- 
ance as  disciples,  as  that  of  men  who  needed  not  any  longer  to 
ask  questions.  In  promising  His  disciples  that  they  would 
ere  long  attain  this  high  degree,  Jesus  was  but  saying  in 
effect,  that  as  apostles  they  would  be  teachers,  not  scholars, — 
doctors  of  divinity,  with  titles  conferred  by  Heaven  itself, 
—  capable  of  answering  questions  of  young  disciples,  similar 
to  those  which  they  once  asked  themselves. 

The  second  feature  of  the  apostolic  illumination  mentioned 
by  Jesus  is  7inliinited  influence  with  God  tJirongh  prayer.  Of 
this  He  speaks  with  much  emphasis:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name, 
He  will  give  it  you."^     That  is  to  say,  the  apostles  were  to 

'  So  Luthardt,  ii.  348,  who  holds  that  the  first  clause  of  ver.  23  refers  to  the  final  con- 
dition of  the  Church,  and  the  second  to  its  imperfect  state,  on  the  ground  that  the  two 
cannot  be  contemporaneous.  He  says  where  there  is  praying  there  is  asking,  and  vice 
versci.  Yet  it  is  also  true  that  the  less  a  man  needs  to  ask  questions,  that  is,  the  more 
enlightened  he  is,  the  more  he  will  pray. 

^  John  xvi.  23.  The  verb  translated  ask  in  this  clause  is  not  the  same  as  that  ren- 
dered by  the  same  English  word  m  the  first.  In  the  first  clause  it  is  epwTJJaaTf ;  in  the 
second,  aiTijaijTe. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Fziture  Apostles.        441 

have  at  command  the  whole  power  of  God :  the  power  of 
miracles,  to  heal  diseases  ;  of  prophecy,  to  foretell  things  to 
come  bearing  on  the  Church's  interest,  and  which  it  was 
desirable  that  believers  should  know  ;  of  providence,  to  make 
all  events  subservient  to  their  well-being,  and  that  of  the 
cause  in  which  they  labored.  The  promise  in  its  substance, 
though  not  in  its  miraculous  accidents,  is  made  to  all  who 
aspire  to  Christian  manhood,  and  is  fulfilled  to  all  who  reach  it. 
In  the  next  sentence,  Jesus,  if  we  mistake  not,  particular- 
izes a  third  feature  in  the  state  of  spiritual  maturity  to  which 
He  would  have  His  disciples  aspire.  It  is  a  Jieart  enlarged 
to  desire,  ask,  and  expect  great  things  for  themselves,  the 
Church,  and  the  world.  "Hitherto,"  He  says  to  them,  "have 
ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name."  There  was  a  reason  for  this, 
distinct  from  the  spiritual  state  of  the  twelve.  The  time 
had  not  yet  come  for  asking  any  thing  in  Christ's  name  : 
they  could  not  fitly  or  naturally  make  "  Christ's  sake  "  their 
plea  till  Christ's  work  was  completed,  and  He  was  glorified. 
But  Jesus  meant  more  than  this  by  His  remark.  He  meant 
to  say,  what  was  in  fact  most  true,  that  hitherto  His  disci- 
ples had  asked  little  in  any  name.  Their  desires  had  been 
petty,  their  ideas  of  what  to  ask  obscure  and  crude ;  any 
wishes  of  large  dimensions  they  had  cherished  had  been  of 
a  worldly  character,  and  therefore  such  as  God  could  not 
grant.  They  had  been  like  children,  to  whom  a  penny 
appears  greater  than  a  thousand  pounds  does  to  a  wealthy 
man.  But  Jesus  hints,  though  He  does  not  plainly  say,  that 
it  will  be  otherwise  with  the  apostles  after  the  advent  of  the 
Comforter.  Then  they  will  be  poor  boys  grown  to  rich  mer- 
chants, whose  ideas  of  enjoyment  have  enlarged  with  their 
outward  fortunes.  Then  they  will  be  able  to  pray  such 
prayers  as  that  of  Paul  in  his  Roman  prison  in  behalf  of  the 
Ephesian  Church,  and  of  the  Church  in  all  ages  ;  able  to 
pray  the  Lord's  prayer,  and  especially  to  say,  "Thy  kingdom 
come,"  with  a  comprehensiveness  of  meaning,  a  fervency  of 
desire,  and  an  assurance  of  faith,  whereof  at  present  they 
have  simply  no  conception.  Hitherto  they  have  been  but  as 
children,  asking  of  their  father  trifles,  toys,  pence :  then  they 
shall  make  large  demands  on  the  riches  of  God's  grace,  for 
themselves,  the  Church,  and  the  world. 


442  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Along  with  this  enlargement,  Jesus  promises,  will  come 
fulness  of  joy.  What  is  asked,  the  Father  will  grant ;  and 
the  answer  to  prayer  will  fill  the  cup  of  joy  to  the  brim. 
Hope  may  be  deferred  for  a  season,  but  in  the  end  will  come 
the  unspeakable  joy  of  hope  fulfilled.  "  Ask,  and  ye  shall 
receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full."  So  it  turned  out  in 
the  experience  of  the  apostles.  They  had  fulness  of  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,  in  His  work  in  their  own  hearts  and  in 
the  world.  The  law  ought  to  hold  good  still.  But  why, 
then,  is  the  cause  of  Christianity  not  progressing,  but  rather, 
one  might  almost  say,  retrograding.''  We  must  answer  this 
question  by  asking  others  :  How  many  have  large  hearts 
cherishing  comprehensive  desires .-"  How  many  with  their 
whole  soul  desire  for  themselves  above  all  things  sanctifica- 
tion  and  illumination .-'  How  many  earnestly,  passionately 
desire  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  the  unity  and  peace 
and  purity  of  the  Church,  the  prevalence  of  righteousness 
in  society  at  large .-'  We  are  straitened  in  our  own  hearts, 
not  in  God. 

The  farewell  discourse  is  now  at  an  end.  Jesus  has  said 
to  His  disciples  what  time  permits,  and  what  they  are  able 
to  hear.  He  does  not  imagine  that  He  has  conveyed  much 
instruction  to  their  minds,  or  that  He  has  done  much  for 
them  in  the  way  of  consolation.  He  has  a  very  humble  idea 
of  the  character  and  practical  effect  of  the  address  He  has 
just  delivered.  Casting  a  glance  backwards  at  the  whole, 
while  perhaps  specially  alluding  to  what  had  been  said  just 
before.  He  remarks  :  "These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you 
in  proverbs."  A  few  parables  or  figurative  sayings  about  the 
house  of  many  mansions,  and  about  the  Divine  Trinity  com- 
ing to  make  their  abode  with  the  faithful,  and  about  the  vine 
and  its  branches,  and  about  maternal  sorrows  and  joys : 
such,  in  the  speaker's  view,  is  the  sum  of  His  discourse. 

Conscious  of  the  inevitable  deficiency  not  only  of  the 
present  discourse,  but  of  His  whole  past  teaching,  Jesus 
takes  occasion  for  the  third  time  to  repeat  the  promise  of 
future  spiritual  illumination,  this  time  speaking  of  Himself 
as  the  illuminator,  and  representing  the  doctrine  of  the 
Father   as   the  great  subject  of   illumination.     "The  time 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        443 

Cometh  when  /  shall  no  more  speak  unto  you  in  proverbs, 
but  /  shall  show  you  plainly  of  the  Father."  The  time 
referred  to  is  still  the  era  dating  from  the  ascension.  Shortly 
thereafter  the  disciples  would  begin  to  experience  the  fulfil- 
ment of  Philip's  prayer,  to  understand  what  their  Lord 
meant  by  His  going  to  the  Father,  and  to  realize  its  blessed 
consequences  for  themselves.  Then  would  their  exalted 
Lord,  through  the  Spirit  of  truth,  speak  to  them  plainly  of 
these  and  all  other  matters  ;  plainly  in  comparison  with  His 
present  mystic,  hidden  style  of  speech,  if  not  so  plainly  as 
to  falsify  the  statements  in  other  places  of  Scripture  concern- 
ing the  partiality  and  dimness  of  all  spiritual  knowledge  in 
this  earthly  state  of  being. 

Of  the  good  time  coming  Jesus  has  yet  another  thing  to 
say ;  not  a  new  thing,  but  an  old  thing  said  in  a  new,  won- 
drously  kind,  and  pathetic  way.  It  has  reference  to  the  hear- 
ing of  prayer,  and  is  to  this  effect :  "  In  the  day  of  your 
enlightenment  you  will,  as  I  have  already  hinted,  pray  not 
less  than  heretofore,  but  far  more,  and  you  will  use  my  name 
as  your  plea  to  be  heard.  Let  me  once  more  assure  you  that 
you  shall  be  heard.  In  support  of  this  assurance,  I  might 
remind  you  that  I  will  be  in  heaven  with  the  Father,  ever 
ready  to  speak  a  word  in  your  behalf,  saying,  '  Father,  hear 
them  for  my  sake,  whose  name  they  plead  in  their  petitions.' 
But  I  do  not  insist  on  this,  not  only  because  I  believe  you  do 
not  need  to  be  assured  of  my  continued  interest  in  your  wel- 
fare, but  more  especially  because  my  intercession  will  not  be 
necessary.  My  Father  will  not  need  to  be  entreated  to  hear 
yoit,  the  men  who  have  been  with  me  in  all  my  temptations,' 
who  have  loved  me  with  leal-hearted  affection,  who  have  be- 
lieved in  me  as  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  while 
the  world  at  large  has  regarded  me  as  an  impostor  and  a 
blasphemer.  For  these  services  to  His  Son  my  Father  loves 
you,  is  grateful  to  you  —  in  a  sense  accounts  Himself  your 
debtor."^  What  heart,  what  humanity,  what  poetry  is  in  all 
this  !  —  poetry,  and  also  truth  ;  truth  unspeakably  comforting 
not  only  to  the  eleven  faithful  companions  of  Jesus,  but  to 
all  sincere  believers  in  Him. 

Having  alluded  to  the  faith  of  His  disciples, — so  merito- 

*  Luke  xxiL  28.   Vide  p.  18,  note.  ^  John  xvi.  26,  27. 


444  '^f^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

rious,  because  so  rare,  — Jesus  takes  occasion,  in  closing 
His  discourse,  and  at  the  close  of  His  life,  solemnly  to 
declare  its  truth.  "  I  came  forth  from  the  Father,  and  am 
come  into  the  world  :  again  I  leave  the  world,  and  go  to  the 
Father."  '  The  first  part  only  of  this  statement  the  disciples 
believed ;  the  second  they  did  not  yet  understand :  but  Jesus 
puts  both  together,  as  the  two  halves  of  one  whole  truth, 
either  of  which  necessarily  implies  the  other.  The  declara- 
tion is  a  most  momentous  one  :  it  sums  up  the  history  of 
Christ ;  it  is  the  substance  of  the  Christian  faith  ;  it  asserts 
doctrines  utterly  incompatible  with  a  merely  human  view  of 
Christ's  person,  and  makes  His  divinity  the  fundamental 
article  of  the  creed. 

These  last  words  of  Jesus  burst  on  the  disciples  like  a  star 
suddenly  shining  out  from  the  clouds  in  a  dark  night.  At 
length  one  luminous  utterance  had  pierced  through  the  haze 
of  their  Master's  mysterious  discourse,  and  they  fancied  that 
now  at  last  they  understood  its  import.  Jesus  had  just  told 
them  that  He  came  forth  from  the  Father  into  the  world. 
That,  at  least,  they  understood  ;  it  was  because  they  believed 
it  that  they  had  become  disciples.  Delighted  to  have  heard 
something  to  which  they  could  give  a  hearty  response,  they 
make  the  most  of  it,  and  inform  their  Master  that  the  intel- 
ligible, plain  speaking  on  His  part,  and  the  intelligent  appre- 
hending on  theirs  which  He  had  projected  into  the  future, 
were  already  in  existence.  "  Lo,"  said  they,  with  emphasis 
on  the  temporal  particle,  "  now  Thou  speakest  plainly,  and 
speakest  no  proverb.  Nozv  are  we  sure  that  Thou  knowest 
all  things,  and  needest  not  that  any  man  should  ask  Thee: 
in  this  we  believe  that  Thou  camest  forth  from  God." 

Alas,  how  impossible  it  is  for  children  to  speak  otherwise 
than  as  children  !  The  disciples,  in  the  very  act  of  pro- 
fessing their  knowledge,  betray  their  utter  ignorance.  The 
statement  begining  with  the  second  "  now "  indicates  an 
almost  ludicrous  misapprehension  of  what  Jesus  had  said 
about  their  asking  Him  no  questions  in  the  day  of  their 
enlightenment.  He  meant  they  would  not  then  need  to 
ask  questions  as  learners  :  they  took  Him  to  mean  that 
He  Himself  had  no  need  to  be  asked  questions  as  to  who  He 

«  Ver.  28. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        445 

was  and  whence  He  came,  His  claim  to  a  heavenly  descent 
being  already  admitted,  at  least  by  them.  And  as  to  the 
inference  drawn  from  that  statement,  "  By  this  we  believe," 
we  can  make  nothing  of  it.  After  many  attempts  to  under- 
stand the  logic  of  the  disciples,  we  must  confess  ourselves 
utterly  baffled.  The  only  way  by  which  we  can  put  a 
tolerable  sense  on  the  words,  is  to  regard  the  phrase  trans- 
lated by  "this"  as  an  adverb  of  time,  and  to  read  "at  this 
present  moment :  "  Meanwhile,  whatever  additional  light  may 
be  in  store  for  us  in  the  future,  we  even  now  believe  that 
Thou  camest  forth  from  God.  This  translation,  however,  is 
not  favored,  or  even  suggested,  by  any  of  the  critics.' 

That  the  disciples  did  honestly  believe  what  they  professed 
to  believe,  was  true.  Jesus  had  just  before  admitted  as  much. 
But  they  did  not  understand  what  was  involved  in  their 
belief.  They  did  not  comprehend  that  the  coming  of  Jesus 
from  the  Father  implied  a  going  thither  again.  They  had 
not  comprehended  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  discourse ; 
they  did  not  comprehend  it  when  the  discourse  was  finished ; 
they  would  not  comprehend  it  till  their  Lord  had  taken  His 
departure,  and  the  Spirit  had  come  who  should  make  all 
things  plain.  In  consequence  of  this  ignorance,  their  faith 
would  not  carry  them  through  the  evil  hour  that  was  now 
very  near.  The  death  of  their  Master,  the  first  step  in  the 
process  of  His  departure,  would  take  them  by  surprise,  and 
make  them  flee  panic-stricken  like  sheep  attacked  by  wolves. 
So  Jesus  plainly  told  them.  "  Do  ye  now  believe  .-* "  He 
said  ;  "  behold,  the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  now  come,  that  ye 
shall  be  scattered,  every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me 
alone."  ^ 

Stern  fact  sternly  announced  ;  but  however  stern,  Jesus 
is  not  afraid  to  look  it  in  the  face.  His  heart  is  in  perfect 
peace,  for  He  has  two  great  consolations.  He  has  a  good 
conscience:   He   can    say,    "I    have   overcome    the    world." 

'  Winer,  Netitest.  Grammatik^  states  that  he  knows  no  clear  example  of  the  use  of 
eV  TouTo)  =  by  this,  or  because  of.  Of  its  use  =  intereci  he  gives  several  examples  from 
classic  authors,  pp.  361-2  (Moulton's  translation,  p.  484). 

^  The  commentators  tell  us  that  aprt  Trio-TeiieTc  is  not  a  question.  If  not,  why  is 
there  no  adversative  particle  in  next  clause  (epx^Toi  6e)  ?  The  clause  is  undoubtedly 
interrogative  in  effect.  Christ  calls  in  question  not  the  reality,  indeed,  but  the  sufficiency, 
of  the  faith  of  His  disciples. 


446  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

He  has  held  fast  His  moral  integrity  against  incessant 
temptation.  The  prince  of  this  world  has  found  none  of  his 
spirit  in  Him,  and  for  that  very  reason  is  going  to  crucify 
Him.  But  by  that  proceeding  Satan  will  not  nullify,  but 
rather  seal,  His  victory.  Outward  defeat  by  worldly  power 
will  be  but  the  index  and  measure  of  His  spiritual  conquest. 
The  world  itself  knows  well  that  putting  Him  to  death  is 
but  the  second  best  way  of  overcoming  Him.  His  enemies 
would  have  been  much  better  pleased  if  they  had  succeeded 
in  intimidating  or  bribing  Him  into  compromise.  The 
ungodly  powers  of  the  world  always  prefer  corruption  to 
persecution  as  a  means  of  getting  rid  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness ;  only  after  failing  in  attempts  to  debauch  conscience, 
and  make  men  venal,  do  they  have  recourse  to  violence. 

Christ's  other  source  of  consolation  in  prospect  of  death 
is  the  approval  of  His  Father :  "  I  am  not  alone,  because  the 
Father  is  with  me."  The  Father  has  been  with  Him  all 
along.  On  three  critical  occasions  —  at  the  baptism,  on 
the  hill  of  transfiguration,  in  the  temple  a  few  days  ago  — the 
Father  had  encouraged  Him  with  an  approving  voice.  He 
feels  that  the  Father  is  with  Him  still.  He  expects  that 
He  will  be  with  Him  when  He  is  deserted  by  His  chosen 
ones,  and  all  through  the  awful  crisis  at  hand,  even  in  that 
darkest,  bitterest  moment,  when  the  loss  of  His  Father's 
sensible  presence  will  extort  from  Him  the  cry  :  "  My  God, 
my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me  .^ "  He  expects  that 
His  Father  will  be  with  Him  then,  not  to  save  Him  from  the 
sense  of  desertion  (He  would  not  wish  to  be  saved  from 
that,  for  He  would  know  by  experience  that  sorest  of  all 
sorrows,  that  in  this,  as  in  all  other  respects.  He  might  be 
like  His  brethren,  and  be  able  to  succor  them  when  they 
are  tempted  to  despair),  but  to  sustain  Him  under  the  sore 
affliction,  and  enable  Him  with  filial  faith  to  cry  ^^  My  God  " 
even  when  complaining  of  being  forsaken. 

Free  from  all  anxiety  for  Himself,  Jesus  bids  His  disciples 
also  be  of  good  cheer ;  and  for  the  same  reason  why  He 
Himself  is  without  fear,  viz.,  because  He  has  overcome  the 
world.  He  will  have  them  understand  that  His  victory  is 
theirs  too.  "  Be  of  good  cheer  :  I  have  overcome  the  world, 
therefore  so  have  ye  in   effect;"  —  such    is  His   meaning. 


Dying  Charge  to  the  Future  Apostles.        447 

Men  of  Socinianizing  tendencies  would  interpret  the  words 
differently.  They  would  read  :  I  have  overcome  the  world, 
therefore  so  may  ye.  Follow  my  example,  and  manfully 
fight  the  battle  of  righteousness  in  spite  of  tribulations.' 
The  meaning  is  good  enough,  so  far  as  it  goes.  It  does  nerve 
one  for  the  battle  of  life  to  know  that  the  Lord  of  glory  has 
been  through  it  before  him.  It  is  an  inspiring  thought  that 
He  has  even  been  a  combatant  at  all ;  for  who  would  not 
follow  when  the  divine  Captain  of  salvation  leads  through 
suffering  to  glory  .-*  Then,  when  we  think  that  this  august 
combatant  has  been  completely  victorious  in  the  fight,  His 
example  becomes  still  more  cheering.  His  victory  shows 
that  the  god  of  this  world  is  not  omnipotent ;  that  it  is 
always  in  the  power  of  any  one  to  overcome  him  simply  by 
being  willing  to  bear  the  cross.  Looking  at  Jesus  enduring 
the  contradiction  of  sinners  even  unto  death,  and  despising 
the  shame  of  crucifixion,  His  followers  get  more  heart  to 
fight  the  good  fight  of  faith. 

But  while  this  is  true,  it  is  the  smallest  part  of  the  truth. 
The  grand  fact  is  that  Christ's  victory  is  the  victory  of  His 
followers,  and  insures  that  they  too  shall  conquer.  Jesus 
fought  His  battle  not  as  a  private  person,  but  as  a  public 
character,  as  a  representative  man.  And  all  are  welcome  to 
claim  the  benefits  of  His  victory,  —  the  pardon  of  sin,  power 
to  resist  the  evil  one,  admission  into  the  everlasting  king- 
dom. Because  Christ  hath  overcome,  we  may  say  to  all.  Be 
of  good  cheer.  The  victory  of  the  Son  of  God  in  human 
nature  is  an  available  source  of  consolation  for  all  who  par- 
take of  that  nature.  It  is  the  privilege  of  every  man  (as 
well  as  the  duty)  to  acknowledge  Christ  as  his  representative 
in  this  great  battle.  "The  Head  of  every  man  is  Christ." 
All  who  sincerely  recognize  the  relationship  will  get  the 
benefit  of  it.  Claim  kindred  with  the  High  Priest,  and  you 
shall  receive  from  Him  mercy  and  grace  to  help  in  your  hour 
of  need.  Lay  it  to  heart  that  men  are  not  isolated  units, 
every  one  fighting  his  own  battle  without  help  or  encourage- 
ment. We  are  members  one  of  another,  and  above  all,  we 
have  in  Christ  an  elder  brother.     We  have  at  least  a  human 

'  On  the  Socinian  theory  of  Atonement,  ride  The  Hzimiliation  of  Christ  (%\yi'(\\  series 
of  Cunningham  Lectures),  Lect.  VII.  p.  296,  2d  ed. 


448  The  Training'  of  the  Twelve. 

relationship  to  Him,  if  not  a  regenerate  one.  Let  us  there- 
fore look  up  to  Him  as  our  Head  in  all  things  :  as  our  King, 
and  lay  down  the  weapons  of  our  rebellion  ;  as  our  Priest,  and 
receive  from  Him  the  pardon  of  our  sins ;  as  our  Lord, 
to  be  ruled  by  His  will,  defended  by  His  might,  and  guided 
by  His  grace.  If  we  do  this,  the  accuser  of  the  brethren 
will  have  no  chance  of  prevailing  against  us.  The  words  of 
St.  John  in  the  Apocalypse  will  be  fulfilled  in  our  history : 
"  They  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the 
word  of  their  testimony  ;  and  they  loved  not  their  lives  unto 
the  death." 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

THE    INTERCESSORY   PRAYER. 
John  xvii. 

The  prayer  uttered  by  Jesus  at  the  close  of  His  farewell 
address  to  His  disciples,  of  unparalleled  sublimity,  whether 
we  regard  its  contents  or  the  circumstances  amid  which  it 
was  offered  up,  it  was  for  years  our  fixed  purpose  to  pass 
over  in  solemn,  reverent  silence,  without  note  or  comment. 
We  reluctantly  depart  from  our  intention  now,  constrained 
by  the  considerations  that  the  prayer  was  not  offered  up 
mentally  by  Jesus,  but  in  the  hearing  and  for  the  instruction 
of  the  eleven  men  present  ;  that  it  has  been  recorded  by 
one  of  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  Church  in  all  ages ;  and 
that  what  it  hath  pleased  God  to  preserve  for  our  use  we 
must  endeavor  to  understand,  and  may  attempt  to  interpret. 

The  prayer  falls  naturally  into  three  divisions,  in  the  first 
of  which  Jesus  prays  for  Himself,  in  the  second  for  His 
disciples,  and  in  the  third  for  the  Church  which  was  to  be 
brought  into  existence  by  their  preaching. 

The  prayer  of  Jesus  for  Himself  (vers.  1-5)  contains  just 
one  petition,  with  two  reasons  annexed.  The  petition  is, 
"Father,  the  hour  is  come,  glorify  Thy  Son  ;"  in  which  the 
manner  of  address,  simple,  familiar,  confidential,  is  note- 
worthy. "  Father  !  "  —  such  is  the  first  word  of  the  prayer, 
six  times  repeated  in  its  course,  with  or  without  epithet 
attached,  and  the  name  which  Jesus  gives  to  Him  to  whom 
His  prayer  is  addressed.  He  speaks  to  God  as  if  He  were 
already  in  heaven,  as  indeed  He  expressly  says  He  is  a  little 
farther  on  :  "Now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world." 

The  significant  phrase,  "the  hour  is  come,"  is  it  not  less 
worthy  of  notice.  How  much  it  expresses  !  —  filial  obedience, 
filial  intimacy,  filial  hope  and  joy.     The  hour  !     It  is  the 

449 


450  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

hour  for  which  He  has  patiently  waited,  which  He  has  looked 
forward  to  with  eager  expectation,  yet  has  never  sought  to 
hurry  on  ;  the  hour  appointed  by  His  Father,  about  which 
Father  and  Son  have  always  had  an  understanding,  and  of 
which  none  but  they  have  had  any  knowledge.  That  hour 
is  come,  and  its  arrival  is  intimated  as  a  plea  in  support  of 
the  petition  :  "  Thou  knowest,  Father,  how  patiently  I  have 
waited  for  what  I  now  ask,  not  wearying  in  well-doing,  nor 
shrinking  from  the  hardships  of  my  earthly  lot.  Now  that 
my  work  is  finished,  grant  me  the  desire  of  my  heart,  and 
glorify  me." 

"Glorify  me,"  that  is,  "  take  me  to  be  with  Thyself." 
The  prayer  of  Jesus  is  that  His  Father  would  be  pleased 
now  to  translate  Him  from  this  world  of  sin  and  sorrow  into 
the  state  of  glory  He  left  behind  when  He  became  man. 
Thus  He  explains  His  own  meaning  when  He  repeats  His 
request  in  a  more  expanded  form,  as  given  in  the  fifth  verse : 
"And  now,  O  Father,  glorify  Thou  me  with  Thine  own  self, 
with  the  glory  I  had  with  Thee  before  the  world  was,"  i.e. 
with  the  glory  He  enjoyed  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  before 
His  incarnation  as  God's  eternal  Son. 

It  is  observable  that  in  this  prayer  for  Himself  Jesus  makes 
no  allusion  to  His  approaching  sufferings.  Very  shortly 
after,  in  Gethsemane,  He  prayed  :  "  O  my  Father,  if  it  be 
possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  !  "  But  here  is  no  men- 
tion of  the  cup  of  sorrow,  but  only  of  the  crown  of  glory.  For 
the  present  heaven  is  in  full  view,  and  its  anticipated  glories 
make  Him  oblivious  of  everything  else.  Not  till  He  is  gone 
out  into  the  night  do  the  sulphurous  clouds  begin  to  gather 
which  overshadow  the  sky  and  shut  out  the  celestial  world 
from  sight.  Yet  the  coming  passion,  though  not  mentioned, 
is  virtually  included  in  the  prayer.  Jesus  knows  that  He 
must  pass  through  suffering  to  glory,  and  that  He  must 
behave  Himself  worthily  under  the  last  trial,  in  order  to 
reach  the  desired  goal.  Therefore  the  uttered  prayer  includes 
this  unuttered  one  :  "  Carry  me  well  through  the  approaching 
struggle  ;  let  me  pass  through  the  dark  valley  to  the  realms 
of  light  without  flinching  or  fear."  ' 

'  Reuss  {Thcologie  Chrcticnnc,  ii.  455)  maintains  that  the  Gospel  of  John  knows 
nothing  of  a  state  of  humiliation,  and  in  proof  alludes  to  the  fact  that  in  this  Gospel 


The  Intercessory  Prayer.  451 

The  first  reason  annexed  to  the  prayer  is,  "  That  Thy  Son 
also  may  glorify  Thee."  Jesus  seeks  His  own  glorification 
merely  as  a  means  to  a  higher  end,  the  glorification  of  God 
the  Father.  And  in  so  connecting  the  two  glorifyings  as 
means  and  end,  He  but  repeats  to  the  Father  what  He  had 
said  to  His  disciples  in  His  farewell  address.  He  had  told 
them  that  it  was  good  for  them  that  He  should  go,  as  not  till 
His  departure  would  any  deep  impression  be  made  on  the 
world's  conscience  with  respect  to  Himself  and  His  doctrine. 
He  now  tells  His  Father  in  effect :  "It  is  good  for  Thy  glory 
that  I  leave  the  earth  and  go  to  heaven  ;  for  henceforth  I  can 
promote  Thy  glory  in  the  world  better  there  than  by  a  pro- 
longed sojourn  here."  To  enforce  the  reason,  Jesus  next 
declares  that  what  He  desires  is  to  glorify  the  Father  in  His 
office  as  the  Saviour  of  sinners  :  "  As  Thou  hast  given  Him 
power  over  all  flesh,  that  He  should  give  eternal  life  to  as 
many  as  Thou  hast  given  Him."  '  Interpreted  in  the  light 
of  this  sentence,  the  prayer  means:  "Thou  sentest  me  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners,  and  hitherto  I  have  been  constantly 
occupied  in  seeking  the  lost,  and  communicating  eternal  life 
to  such  as  would  receive  it.  I3ut  the  time  has  come  when 
this  work  can  be  best  carried  on  by  me  lifted  up.  Therefore 
exalt  me  to  Thy  throne,  that  from  thence,  as  a  Prince  and  a 
Saviour,  I  may  dispense  the  blessings  of  salvation." 

It  is  important  to  notice  how  Jesus  defines  His  commis- 

Christ's  death  is  represented  as  a  glorification.     On  this  view  vide  The  Hutniliation  of 
Christ,  p.  34,  2d  ed.     On  the  theological  import  of  ver.  5,  vide  the  same  work,  p.  359. 

'  John  xvii.  2.  The  R.  V.  has  "  Thou  gavest."  The  revisers  have  carried  out  their 
views  of  the  rendering  of  the  aorist  too  rigidly  in  this  chapter.  There  can  be  little 
doubt  that  some  of  the  aorists  are  in  effect  perfects.  We  may  here  quote  the  following 
sentences  from  Buttmann's  Grammar  of  i/ie  New  Testament  Greek:  "That  the  aorist 
may  stand  for  the  perfect,  has  been  denied  by  many  grammarians  in  reference  to  ordinary 
Greek  usage,  and  by  Winer  in  reference  to  the  New  Testament  also,  yet  with  too  little 
qualification.  As  in  so  many  other  instances,  the  question  depends  simply  upon  our  con- 
necting the  correct  idea  with  the  grammatical  terminology ;  that  is  to  say,  inasmuch  as 
the  relation  of  time  expressed  by  the  perfect  is  compounded,  as  it  were,  of  that  of  the 
aorist  and  that  of  the  present,  in  cases  where  the  aorist  is  used  in  the  sense  of  the  per- 
fect, we  must  take  this  view  of  the  matter,  — that  the  aorist  was  not  intended  to  express 
both  relations  of  the  perfect  at  once,  but  that  the  writer  for  the  moment  withdraws  from 
the  present  and  places  himself  in  the  past,  consequently  in  the  position  of  a  narrator. 
This  position  is  uniformly  the  most  natural  for  the  act  of  composition,  and  from  it  there 
results  of  itself,  if  not  a  positive  aversion  to  the  perfect,  yet  a  greater  preference  for  the 
aorist.  The  continuance  of  the  action,  therefore,  and  its  effect  down  to  the  present  time, 
resides,  not  indeed  in  the  tense,  but  in  the  connection  ;  and  the  necessary  insertion  of 
this  relation  is  left  in  every  case  to  the  hearer."  — Pp.  197-8,  American  Edition. 


452  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

sion  as  the  Saviour,  He  represents  it  at  once  as  concerning 
all  flesh,  and  as  specially  concerning  a  select  class,  thus 
ascribing  to  His  work  a  general  and  a  particular  reference, 
in  accordance  with  the  teaching  of  the  whole  New  Testa- 
ment, which  sets  forth  Christ  at  one  time  as  the  Saviour  of 
all  men,  at  another  as  the  Saviour  of  His  people,  of  the  elect, 
of  His  sheep,  of  those  who  believe.  This  style  of  speaking 
concerning  the  redeeming  work  of  our  Saviour  it  is  our  duty 
and  our  privilege  to  imitate,  avoiding  extremes,  both  that  of 
denying  or  ignoring  the  universal  aspects  of  Christ's  mission, 
and  that  of  maintaining  that  He  is  in  the  same  sense  the 
Saviour  of  all,  or  that  He  will  and  must  eventually  save  all. 
Both  extremes  are  excluded  by  the  carefully  selected  words 
of  Jesus  in  His  intercessory  prayer.  On  the  one  hand.  He 
speaks  of  all  flesh  as  belonging  to  His  jurisdiction  as  the 
Saviour  of  humanity  at  large  as  the  mass  into  which  the 
leaven  is  to  be  deposited,  with  a  view  to  leavening  the  whole 
lump.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  an  obvious  restriction  on 
the  universality  of  the  first  clause  in  the  terms  of  the  second. 
The  advocates  of  universal  restoration  have  no  support  for 
their  tenet  here.  They  may  indeed  ask  :  If  Jesus  has  power 
over  all  flesh,  is  it  credible  that  He  will  not  use  it  to  the 
uttermost .-'  In  reply,  we  shall  not  seek  to  evade  the  ques- 
tion, by  resolving  the  power  claimed  into  a  mere  mediatorial 
sovereignty  over  the  whole  solely  for  the  sake  of  a  part, 
because  we  know  that  the  elect  part  is  chosen  not  merely  for 
its  own  sake,  but  also  for  the  sake  of  the  whole,  to  be  the 
salt  of  the  earth,  the  light  of  the  world,  and  the  leaven  to 
leaven  the  corrupt  mass.'  We  simply  observe  that  the  power 
of  the  Saviour  is  not  compulsory.  Men  are  not  saved  by 
force  as  machines,  but  by  love  and  grace  as  free  beings  ;  and 
there  are  many  whom  brooding  love  would  gather  under  its 
wings  who  prefer  remaining  outside  to  their  own  destruction. 
The  essence  of  eternal  life  is  defined  in  the  next  sentence 
of  the  prayer,  and  represented  as  consisting  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  only  true  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ  His  messen- 
ger, knowledge  been  taken  comprehensively  as  including 
faith,  love,  and  worship,  and  the  emphasis  lying  on  the  objects 

■  On  this  see  Martensen,  Die  Christliche  Dogmatik,  §  215  (translated  in   Foreign 
Theological  Library). 


The  Intercessory  Prayer.  453 

of  such  knowledge.  The  Christian  religion  is  here  described 
in  opposition  to  paganism  on  the  one  hand,  with  its  many- 
gods,  and  to  Judaism  on  the  other,  which,  believing  in  the 
one  true  God,  rejected  the  claims  of  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ. 
It  is  further  so  described  as  to  exclude  by  anticipation  Arian 
and  Socinian  views  of  the  person  of  Christ.  The  names  of 
God  and  of  Jesus  are  put  on  a  level  as  objects  of  religious 
regard,  whereby  an  importance  is  assigned  to  the  latter  in- 
compatible with  the  dogma  that  Jesus  is  a  mere  man.  For 
eternal  life  cannot  depend  on  knowing  any  man,  however 
wise  and  good  :  the  utmost  that  can  be  said  of  the  benefit 
derivable  from  such  knowledge  is  that  it  is  helpful  towards 
knowing  God  better,  which  can  be  affirmed  not  only  of  Jesus, 
but  of  Moses,  Paul,  John,  and  all  the  apostles. 

It  may  seem  strange  that,  in  addressing  His  Father,  Jesus 
should  deem  it  needful  to  explain  wherein  eternal  life  con- 
sists ;  and  some,  to  get  rid  of  the  difficulty,  have  supposed 
that  the  sentence  is  an  explanatory  reflection  interwoven  into 
the  prayer  by  the  evangelist.  Yet  the  words  were  perfectly 
appropriate  in  the  mouth  of  Jesus  Himself.  The  first  clause 
is  a  confession  by  the  man  Jesus  of  His  own  faith  in  God 
His  Father  as  the  supreme  object  of  knowledge  ;  and  the 
whole  sentence  is  really  an  argument  in  support  of  the 
prayer,  Glorify  Thy  Son.  The  force  of  the  declaration  lies 
in  what  it  implies  respecting  the  existing  ignorance  of  men 
concerning  the  Father  and  His  Son.  It  is  as  if  Jesus  said  : 
Father,  Thou  knowest  that  eternal  life  consists  in  knowing 
Thee  and  me.  Look  around,  then,  and  see  how  few  possess 
such  knowledge.  The  heathen  world  knoweth  Thee  not  — 
it  worships  idols  :  the  Jewish  world  is  equally  ignorant  of 
Thee  in  spirit  and  in  truth  ;  for,  while  boasting  of  knowing 
Thee,  it  rejects  me.  The  whole  world  is  overspread  with  a 
dark  veil  of  ignorance  and  superstition.  Take  me  out  of  it, 
therefore,  not  because  I  am  weary  of  its  sin  and  darkness, 
but  that  I  may  become  to  it  a  sun.  Hitherto  my  efforts  to 
illuminate  the  darkness  have  met  with  small  success.  Grant 
me  a  position  from  which  I  can  send  forth  light  over  all  the 
earth. 

But  why  does  the  Saviour  here  alone,  in  the  whole  Gospel 
history,  call  Himself  y^j-^^j  Christ?     Some  see  in  this  com- 


454  ^'^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

pound  name,  common  in  the  apostolic  age,  another  proof  that 
this  verse  is  an  interpolation.  Again,  however,  without  rea- 
son, for  the  style  in  which  Jesus  designates  Himself  exactly 
suits  the  object  He  has  in  view.  He  is  pleading  with  the 
Father  to  take  Him  to  glory,  that  He  may  the  more  effect- 
ually propagate  the  true  religion.  What  more  appropriate  in 
this  connection  than  to  speak  of  Himself  objectively  under 
the  name  by  which  He  should  be  known  among  the  profes- 
sors of  the  true  religion  } 

The  second  reason  pleaded  by  Jesus  in  support  of  His 
prayer,  is  that  His  appointed  service  has  been  faithfully  ac- 
complished, and  now  claims  its  guerdon  :  "  I  have  glorified 
Thee  on  the  earth  :  I  have  finished  the  work  which  Thou 
gavest  me  to  do.  Now,  therefore,  glorify  Thou  me."  '  The 
great  Servant  of  God  speaks  here  not  only  with  reference  to 
the  past,  but  by  anticipation  with  reference  to  His  passion 
already  endured  in  purpose;  so  that  the  "I  have  finished"  of 
the  prayer  is  equivalent  in  meaning  to  the  "  It  is  finished  " 
spoken  from  the  cross.  And  what  He  says  concerning  Him- 
self is  true ;  the  declaration,  though  one  which  no  other 
human  being  could  make  without  abatement,  is  on  His  part 
no  exaggerated,  boastful  piece  of  self-laudation,  but  the  sober, 
humble  utterance  of  a  conscience  void  of  offence  towards 
God  and  towards  men.  Nor  can  we  say  that  the  statement, 
though  true,  was  ultroneous  and  uncalled  for.  It  was  neces- 
sary that  Jesus  should  be  able  to  make  that  declaration  ;  and 
though  the  fact  declared  was  well  known  to  God,  it  was  desir- 
able to  proclaim  in  the  hearing  of  the  eleven,  and  unto  the 
whole  Church  through  their  record,  the  grounds  on  which 
His  claim  to  be  rewarded  with  glory  rested,  for  the  strength- 
ening of  faith.  For  as  our  faith  and  hope  towards  God  are 
based  on  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  was  able  to  make  the 
declaration  in  question,  so  they  are  confirmed  by  the  actual 
making  of  it.  His  protestation  that  He  has  kept  His  covenant 
of  work  being  to  us,  as  it  were,  a  seal  of  the  covenant  of 
grace,  serving  the  same  end  as  the  sacrament  of  the  Supper. 

Having  offered  this  brief  petition  for  Himself,  Jesus  pro- 
ceeded to  pray  for  His  disciples  at  much  greater  length,  all 
that  follows  having  reference  to  them  mainly,  and  from  the 

'  John  xvii.  4. 


The  Intercessory  Prayer.  455 

sixth  to  the  twentieth  verse  referring  to  them  exclusively. 
The  transition  is  made  by  a  special  declaration,  applying  the 
general  one  of  the  preceding  sentence  to  that  part  of  Christ's 
personal  work  which  consisted  in  the  training  of  these  men  : 
"  I  have  manifested  Thy  name  unto  the  men  whom  Thou 
gavest  me  out  of  the  world."  '  After  this  introductory  state- 
ment follows  a  short  description  of  the  persons  about  to  be 
prayed  for.  Jesus  gives  His  disciples  a  good  character. 
First,  scrupulously  careful  not  to  exaggerate  the  importance 
of  the  service  He  has  rendered  in  training  them  for  the 
apostolate.  He  acknowledges  that  they  were  good  when  He 
got  them  :  "Thine  they  were,  and  Thou  gavest  them  me  :" 
they  were  pious,  devout  men,  God-taught,  God-drawn,  God- 
given.  Then  He  testifies  that  since  they  had  been  with  Him 
they  had  sustained  the  character  they  had  when  they  joined 
His  company  :  "  They  have  kept  Thy  word."  And  finally,  He 
bears  witness  that  the  men  whom  His  Father  had  given  Him 
had  been  true  believers  in  Himself,  and  had  received  all  His 
words  as  the  very  truth  of  God,  and  Himself  as  one  sent 
forth  into  the  world  by  God.^  Here,  surely,  is  a  generous 
eulogy  on  disciples,  who,  while  sincere  and  devoted  to  their 
Master,  were,  as  we  know,  exceedingly  faulty  in  conduct, 
and  slow  to  learn. 

Having  thus  generously  praised  His  humble  companions, 
Jesus  intimates  His  intention  to  pray  for  them  :  "I  pray  for 
them."  But  the  prayer  comes  not  just  yet ;  for  some  prefa- 
tory words  must  be  premised,  to  give  the  prayer  more 
emphasis  when  it  does  come.  First,  the  persons  prayed  for 
are  singled  out  as  for  the  moment  the  sole  objects  of  a  con- 
centrated solicitude.  "  I  pray  for  them  :  I  pray  not  for  the 
world."  3  The  design  of  Jesus  in  making  this  statement  is 
not,  of  course,  to  intimate  the  absolute  exclusion  of  the 
world  from  His  sympathies.  Not  exclusion,  but  conccnti'ation 
in  order  to  eventual  inclusion,  is  His  purpose  here.  He  would 
have  His  Father  fix  His  special  regards  on  this  small  band 
of  men,  with  whom  the  fortunes  of  Christianity  are  bound 
up.  He  prays  for  them  as  a  mother  dying  might  pray  exclu- 
sively for  her  children,  —  not  that  she  is  indifferent  to  the 
interest  of  all  beyond,  but  that  her  family,  in  her  solemn  situa- 

'  Ver.  6.  ^  Vers.  7,  8,  cf,  Luke  xxii.  28,  29.  3  Ver.  9. 


456  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

tion,  is  for  her  the  natural  legitimate  object  of  an  absorbing, 
all-engrossing  solicitude.  He  prays  for  them  as  the  precious 
fruit  of  His  life-labor,  the  hope  of  the  future,  the  founders 
of  the  Church,  the  Noah's  ark  of  the  Christian  faith,  the 
missionaries  of  the  truth  to  the  whole  world ;  for  them  alone, 
but  for  the  world's  sake, — it  being  the  best  thing  He  can  do 
for  the  world  meantime  to  commend  them  to  the  Father's 
care. 

What  Jesus  means  to  ask  for  the  men  thus  singled  out,  we 
can  now  guess  for  ourselves.  It  is  that  His  Father  would 
keep  them,  now  that  He  is  about  to  leave  them.  But  before 
the  request  come  two  reasons  why  it  should  be  granted.  The 
first  is  expressed  in  these  terms  :  "  They  are  Thine  :  and  all 
mine  are  Thine,  and  Thine  are  mine  ;  and  I  am  glorified  in 
them;"'  —  and  means  in  effect  this:  "It  is  Thy  business. 
Thy  interest,  to  keep  these  men.  They  are  Thine ;  Thou 
gavest  them  me  :  keep  Thine  own.  Although  since  they 
became  my  disciples  they  have  been  mine,  that  makes  no 
difference  :  they  are  still  Thine ;  for  between  me  and  Thee 
is  no  distinction  of  ineimi  and  tmiin.  Then  I  am  glorified  in 
them  :  my  cause,  my  name,  my  doctrine,  are  to  be  henceforth 
identified  with  them  ;  and  if  they  miscarry,  my  interest  will 
be  shipwrecked.  Therefore,  as  Thou  valuest  the  honor  of 
Thy  Son,  keep  these  men."  The  other  reason  why  the 
request  about  to  be  proffered  should  be  granted  is  :  "  And 
now  I  am  no  more  in  the  world."  ^  The  Master,  about  to 
depart  from  the  earth,  commends  to  His  Father's  care  those 
whom  He  is  leaving  behind  without  a  head. 

And  now  at  length  comes  the  prayer  for  the  eleven,  ushered 
in  with  due  solemnity  by  a  new  emphatic  address  to  the 
Hearer  of  prayer :  "  Holy  Father,  keep  in  Thine  own  name 
those  whom  Thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  as  we 
are." 3  The  epithet  "holy"  suits  the  purport  of  the  prayer, 
which  is  that  the  disciples  may  be  kept  pure  in  faith  and 
practice,  separate  from  all  existing  error  and  sin,  that  they 
may  be  eventually  a  salt  to  the  corrupt  world  in  which  their 
Lord  is  about  to  leave  them.  The  prayer  itself  embraces 
two  particulars.  The  first  is  that  the  disciples  may  be  kept 
ill  the  name  of  the  Father,  which  Jesus  has  manifested  to 

*  Ver.  10.  *  Ver.  ii.  ^  Ver.  ii. 


The  Intercessory  Prayer.  457 

them  ;  that  is,  that  they  may  continue  to  believe  what  He 
had  taught  them  of  God,  and  so  become  His  instruments  for 
diffusing  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  and  the  true  religion 
throughout  the  earth.  The  second  is,  that  they  may  be  one, 
that  is,  that  they  may  be  kept  in  love  to  each  other,  as  well 
as  in  the  faith  of  the  divine  name  ;  separate  from  the  world, 
but  not  divided  among  themselves.'  These  two  things,  truth 
and  love,  Jesus  asks  for  His  own,  as  of  vital  moment :  truth 
as  the  badge  of  distinction  between  His  Church  and  the 
world ;  love  as  the  bond  which  unites  believers  of  the  truth 
into  a  holy  brotherhood  of  witness-bearers  to  the  truth. 
These  two  things  the  Church  should  ever  keep  in  view  as  of 
co-ordinate  importance  :  not  sacrificing  love  to  truth,  dividing 
those  who  should  be  one  by  insisting  on  too  minute  and 
detailed  a  testimony ;  nor  sacrificing  truth  to  love,  making 
the  Church  a  very  broad,  comprehensive  society,  but  a  soci- 
ety without  a  vocation  or  raison  d'etre,  having  no  truth  to 
guard  and  teach,  or  testimony  to  bear. 

Having  commended  His  disciples  to  His  Father's  care, 
Jesus  next  gives  an  account  of  His  own  stewardship  as  their 
Master,  and  protests  that  He  has  faithfully  kept  them  in 
divine  truth.^  He  claims  to  have  done  His  duty  by  them  all, 
not  even  excepting  Judas,  in  whose  case  He  admits  failure, 
but  at  the  same  time  clears  Himself  of  blame.  The  refer- 
ence to  the  false  disciple  shows  how  conscientious  He  is  in 
rendering  His  account.  He  feels,  as  it  were,  put  on  His 
defence  with  reference  to  the  apostate  ;  and  supposing  Him- 
self to  be  asked  the  question.  What  have  you  to  say  about 
this  man  .-'  He  replies  in  effect :  "  I  admit  I  have  not  been 
able  to  keep  him  from  falling,  but  I  have  done  all  I  could. 
The  son  of  perdition  is  not  lost  through  my  fault."  ^  We 
know  how  well  entitled  Jesus  was  to  make  this  protestation. 

In  the  next  part  of  the  prayer '^  Jesus  defines  the  sense  in 
which  He  asks  that  His  disciples  may  be  kept,  and  in  doing 
this  virtually  offers  new  reasons  why  the  petition  should  be 
heard.  He  commends  them  to  His  Father's  care  as  the 
depositaries  of  truth,  worth  keeping  on  that  account,  and 
needing  to  be  kept,  because  of  the  world's  dislike  of  the 
truth. 5     And  He  explains    that  by  keeping  He  means   not 

'  Ver.  II.  ^  Ver.  12.  ^  Ver.  12.  *  Vers.  14-20.  *  Ver.  14. 


458  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

translation  out  of  the  world,  but  preservation  in  the  world 
from  its  moral  evil,  their  presence  there  as  a  salt  being  neces- 
sary, and  their  purity  not  less  needful,  that  the  salt  might 
not  be  without  savor  and  virtue.  This  explanation  He  meant 
not  for  the  ear  of  His  Father  alone,  but  also  for  the  ears  of 
His  disciples.  He  wished  them  to  understand  that  two 
things  were  equally  to  be  shunned,  —  conformity  to  the 
world,  and  weariness  of  the  world.  They  must  abide  in  the 
truth,  and  they  must  abide  in  the  world  for  the  truth's  sake ; 
mindful,  for  their  consolation,  that  when  they  felt  the  world's 
hatred  most,  they  were  doing  most  good,  and  that  the  weight 
of  their  cross  was  the  measure  of  their  influence. 

The  keeping  asked  by  Jesus  for  His  own  is  but  the  con- 
tinuance and  perfecting  of  an  existing  moral  condition.  He 
needs  not  to  ask  His  Father  now  for  the  first  time  to  sepa- 
rate His  disciples  in  spirit  and  chara,cter  from  the  world. 
That  they  are  already  ;  that  they  were  when  first  they  joined 
His  society ;  that  they  have  continued  to  be.  This,  in  jus- 
tice to  them,  their  Master  is  careful  to  state  twice  over  in 
this  portion  of  His  prayer.  "They,"  He  testifies,  "are  not 
of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world,"  '  putting  them 
on  a  level  with  Himself  with  characteristic  magnanimity,  and 
not  without  truth  ;  for  the  persons  thus  described,  though  in 
many  respects  defective,  were  very  unworldly,  caring  nothing 
for  the  world's  trinity,  —  riches,  honors,  and  pleasures,  —  but 
only  for  the  words  of  eternal  life. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  their  sincerity,  the  eleven  still  needed 
not  only  keeping,  \)VX  perfecting ;  and  therefore  their  Master 
went  on  to  pray  for  their  sanctification  in  the  truth,  having 
in  view  not  only  their  perseverance,  growth,  and  maturity  in 
grace  as  private  Christians,  but  more  especially  their  spiritual 
equipment  for  the  office  of  the  apostleship.  Hence  He  goes 
on  in  the  next  breath  to  make  mention  of  their  apostolic 
vocation,  showing  that  that  is  principally  in  His  eye :  "  As 
Thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world,  even  so  have  I  also  sent 
them  into  the  world. "^  That  they  may  be  fitted  for  their 
mission  is  His  intense  desire.  Hence  He  proceeds  to  speak 
of  His  own  sanctification  as  a  means  towards  their  apostolic 
sanctification  as  the  end,  as  if  His  own  ministry  were  merely 

*  John  xvii.  14,  16.  ^  Ver.  18. 


The  Intercessory  Prayer.  459 

subordinate  to  theirs.  For  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that 
they  also  might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth."  '  Remark- 
able words,  whose  meaning  is  obscure,  and  has  been  much 
debated,  but  in  which  we  may  at  least  with  confidence  dis- 
cover a  singular  display  of  condescension  and  love.  Jesus 
speaks  here  like  a  parent  who  lives  for  the  sake  of  His  chil- 
dren, having  a  regard  to  their  moral  training  in  all  His  per- 
sonal habits,  denying  Himself  pleasures  for  their  benefit,  and 
making  it  His  chief  end  and  care  to  form  their  characters, 
perfect  their  education,  and  fit  them  for  the  duties  of  the 
position  which  they  are  destined  to  fill. 

The  remainder  of  the  prayer  (with  exception  of  the  two 
closing  sentences)^  respects  the  Church  at  large,  —  those 
who  should  believe  in  Christ  through  the  word  of  the  apos- 
tles, heard  from  their  lips,  or  reported  in  their  writings. 
What  Jesus  desires  for  the  body  of  believers  is  partly  left  to 
be  inferred  ;  for  when  He  says,  "I  pray  not  for  these  alone,'* 
He  intimates  that  He  desires  for  the  parties  next  to  be  prayed 
for  the  same  things  He  has  already  asked  for  his  disciples  : 
preservation  in  the  truth,  and  from  the  evil  in  the  world,  and 
sanctification  by  the  truth.  The  one  blessing  He  expressly 
asks  for  the  Church  is  "unity."  His  heart's  desire  for  be- 
lievers in  Him  is  "that  they  all  may  be  one."  His  ideal  of 
the  Church's  unity  is  very  high,  its  divine  exemplar  being 
the  unity  subsisting  between  the  persons  in  the  Godhead, 
and  specially  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  its  ground 
the  same  divine  unity:  "one  as  we  are  one,  and  in  us  who 
are  one,"  bound  together  as  closely  and  harmoniously  by  the 
common  name  into  which  they  are  baptized,  and  by  which 
they  are  called.^ 

This  unity,  desirable  for  its  own  sake,  Jesus  specially  de- 
siderates, because  of  the  moral  power  which  it  will  confer  on 
the  Church  as  an  institute  for  propagating  the  Christian 
faith  :  "  That  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent 
me."'*  Now  this  end  is  one  which  cannot  be  promoted 
unless  the  unity  of  believers  be  in  some  way  made  manifest. 
A  unity  which  is  not  apparent  can  have  no  effect  on  the 
world,  but  must  needs  be  as  a  candle  under  a  bushel,  which 
gives  no  light,  nay,  ceases  to  be  a  light,  and  goes  out.     There 

'  Ver.  19.  2  Vers.  20-24.  3  Ver.  21.  *  Vers.  21,  23. 


460  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

can  be  no  doubt,  therefore,  that  our  Lord  had  a  visible  unity 
in  view ;  and  the  only  question  is  how  that  is  to  be  reached. 
The  first  and  most  obvious  way  is  by  union  in  one  church 
organization,  with  appointed  means  for  representing  the 
whole  body,  and  expressing  its  united  mind  ;  such,  e.g.,  as 
the  oecumenical  councils  of  the  early  centuries.  This,  the 
most  complete  manifestation  of  unity,  was  exhibited  in  the 
primitive  Church. 

In  our  day  incorporating  union  on  a  great  scale'  is  not 
possible,  and  other  methods  of  expressing  the  feeling  of 
catholicity  must  be  resorted  to.  One  method  that  might  be 
tried  is  that  of  confederation,  whereby  independent  church 
organizations  might  be  united  after  the  fashion  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  or  of  the  Greek  republics,  which  found  a 
centre  of  unity  in  the  legislative  and  judicial  assembly  called 
the  Amphictyonic  Council.  But  whatever  may  be  thought 
of  that,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  the  unity  of  believers  in 
Christ  must  be  made  more  manifest  as  an  undeniable  fact 
somehow,  if  the  Church  is  to  realize  her  vocation  as  a  holy 
nation  called  out  of  darkness  to  show  forth  the  virtues  of 
Him  whose  name  she  bears,  and  win  for  Him  the  world's 
homage  and  faith.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  unity  of  the 
Church  does  find  expression  in  its  creed  ;  by  which  we  mean 
not  the  sectional  creed  of  this  or  that  denomination,  but  the 
creed  within  the  creeds,  expressive  of  the  catJiolic  orthodoxy 
of  Christendom,  and  embracing  the  fundamentals,  and  only 
the  fundamentals,  of  the  Christian  faith.  There  is  a  Church 
within  all  the  churches  to  which  this  creed  is  the  thing  of 
value,  all  else  being,  in  the  esteem  of  its  members,  but  the 
husk  containing  the  precious  kernel.  But  the  existence  of 
that  Church  is  a  fact  known  by  faith,  not  by  sight :  its  influ- 
ence is  little  felt  by  the  world  ;  and  however  thankful  we  may 
be  for  the  presence  in  the  midst  of  ecclesiastical  organiza- 
tions of  this  holy  commonwealth,  we  cannot  accept  it  as  the 
realization  of  the  ideal  which  the  Saviour  had  in  His  mind 
when  He  uttered  the  words,  "That  they  all  may  be  one." 

'  This  remark  is  meant  to  apply  to  the  whole  visible  Church,  divided  not  only  by 
diversity  of  opinion  on  doctrines  of  cardinal  imj)()rtance,  but  by  incompatible  forms  of 
church  government.  Local  and  partial  incorporating  unions  of  bodies  really  allied  in 
doctrine  and  government,  are  not  only  practicable,  but  obligatory. 


The  Intercessory  Prayer.  461 

In  the  next  two  sentences  '  Jesus  fondly  lingers  over  this 
prayer,  repeating,  expanding,  enforcing  the  petition  in  lan- 
guage too  deep  for  our  fathoming  line,  but  which  plainly  con- 
veys the  truth  that  without  unity  the  Church  can  neither 
glorify  Christ,  commend  Christianity  as  divine,  nor  have  the 
glory  of  Christ  abiding  on  herself.  And  this  is  a  truth  which, 
on  reflection,  approves  itself  to  reason.  Wrangling  is  not 
a  divine  thing,  and  it  needs  no  divine  influence  to  bring  it 
about.  Anybody  can  quarrel ;  and  the  world,  knowing  that, 
has  little  respect  for  a  quarrelling  Church.  But  the  world 
opens  its  eyes  in  wonder  at  a  community  in  which  peace  and 
concord  prevail,  saying,  Here  is  something  out  of  the  com- 
mon course,  —  selfishness  and  self-will  rooted  out  of  human 
nature  :  nothing  but  a  divine  influence  could  thus  subdue  the 
centrifugal  forces  which  tend  to  separate  men  from  each 
other. 

The  endearing  name  Father,  with  which  the  next  sentence 
begins,  marks  the  commencement  of  a  new  final  paragraph 
in  the  prayer  of  the  great  High  Priest.^  Jesus  at  this  point 
casts  a  glance  forward  to  the  end  of  things,  and  prays  for 
the  final  consummation  of  God's  purpose  with  regard  to  the 
Church  :  that  the  Church  militant  may  become  the  Church 
triumphant ;  that  the  body  of  saints,  imperfectly  sanctified 
on  earth,  may  become  perfectly  sanctified  and  glorified  in 
heaven,  with  Himself  where  He  will  be,  beholding  His  glory, 
and  changed  into  the  same  image  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Then  comes  the  conclusion,  in  which  Jesus  returns  from 
the  distant  future  to  the  present,  and  gathers  in  His  thoughts 
from  the  Church  at  large  to  the  company  assembled  in  the 
supper-chamber.  Himself  and  His  disciples.^  These  two 
closing  sentences  serve  the  same  use  in  Christ's  prayer  that 
the  phrase  "for  Christ's  sake  "  serves  in  ours.  They  contain 
two  pleas,  —  the  service  of  the  parties  prayed  for,  and  the 
righteousness  of  the  Being  prayed  to,  —  the  last  coming  first, 
embodied  in  the  title,  "O  righteous  Father."  The  services, 
merits,  and  claims  of  Jesus  and  His  disciples  are  specifically 
mentioned  as  matters  to  which  the  righteous  Father  will 
doubtless  attach  the  due  weight.  The  world's  ignorance  of 
God  is  alluded  to,  to  enhance  the  value  of  the  acknowledg- 

'  John  xvii.  22,  23.  *  Ver.  24.  ^  Vers.  25,  26. 


462  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

ment  which  He  has  received  from  His  Son  and  His  Son's 
companions.  That  ignorance  explains  why  Jesus  deems  it 
necessary  to  say,  "I  have  known  Thee."  Even  His  knowl- 
edge was  not  a  thing  of  course  in  such  a  world.  It  was  an 
effort  for  the  man  Jesus  to  retain  God  in  His  knowledge, 
quite  as  much  as  to  keep  Himself  unspotted  from  the  world's 
corruptions.  It  was  as  hard  for  Him  to  know  and  confess 
God  as  Father  in  a  world  that  in  a  thousand  ways  practi- 
cally denied  that  Fatherhood,  as  to  live  a  life  of  love  amid 
manifold  temptations  to  self-seeking.  In  truth,  the  two 
problems  were  one.  To  be  light  in  the  midst  of  darkness, 
love  in  the  midst  of  selfishness,  holiness  in  the  midst  of 
depravity,  are  in  effect  the  same  thing. 

While  pleading  His  own  merit,  Jesus  forgets  not  the  claims 
of  His  disciples.  Of  them  He  says  in  effect :  They  have 
known  Thee  at  second-hand  through  me,  as  I  have  known 
Thee  at  first-hand  by  direct  intuition.'  Not  content  with 
this  statement.  He  expatiates  on  the  importance  of  these 
men  as  objects  of  divine  care,  representing  that  they  are 
worth  keeping,  as  already  possessing  the  knowledge  of  God's 
name,  and  destined  ere  long  to  know  it  yet  more  perfectly,  so 
that  they  shall  be  able  to  make  it  known  as  an  object  of 
homage  to  others,  and  God  shall  be  able  to  love  them  even 
as  He  loved  His  own  Son,  when  He  was  in  the  world  faith- 
fully serving  His  heavenly  Father,  "And  I  have  declared 
unto  them  Thy  name,  and  will  declare  it ;  that  the  love 
■wherewith  Thou  hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in 
them."^  Wonderful  words  to  be  uttered  concerning  mere 
earthen  vessels ! 

'  John  xvii.  25.  ^  Ver.  26. 


APPENDIX   TO   CHAPTERS    XXIV.-XXVI. 

We  append  here  an  analysis  of  the  farewell  discourse  and 
accompanying  prayer. 

Part  I. — John  xiii.  31-xiv.  31. 

Div.  I.  —  Words  of  comfort  to  disciples  as  children,  ten  (or  at  most  thirteen) 
sentences  in  all :  — 

1.  Fiist  word,  xiii.  34,  35 :  Love  one  another  in  my  absence. 

2.  Secoitd  word,  xiv.  1-4  :  Have  faith  in  God  and  in  me.     I  will  be  looking 

after  your  interest  while  absent,  and  will  come  for  you. 

3.  Third  word,  xiv.   15-18:  Even  while  away  I  will  be  with  you  per  the 

Holy  Spirit  (19-21,  enlargement). 
Div.  II. —  Children's  questions  with  the  answers  :  — 

1.  Peter's  question,  xiii.  36-38  :  Whither  goest  Thou  ? 

2.  Thomas's  question,  xiv.  5-7  ;  How  can  we  know  the  way  ? 

3.  Philip's  request,  xiv.  8-14:  Show  us  the  Father. 

4.  Judas's  question,  xiv.  22-24 :  How  canst  Thou  appear  to  us  and  not  to 

the  world? 

Part  II. — John  xv.,  xvi.  :  Dying  charge  to  the  future  apos- 
tles (style  changed). 

1.  Allegory  of  the  Vine,  xv.  1-16:  The  apostles  Christ's  means  of  working 

in  the  world.     They  work  through  His  life  dwelling  in  them. 

2.  Apostolic  tribulations  and  encouragements,  xv.   18-27,  xvi.  1-15  :  The 

world  will  hate,  but  the  Spirit  will  convince  the  world,  and  enlighten 
them. 

3.  The  little  while,  and  end  of  discourse,  xvi.   16-33  •  Paradox  of  seeing 

and  not  seeing  =  physical  absence,  but  spiritual  presence.     Adieu. 

Part  III. — John  xvii.  :  Intercessory  prayer. 

1.  Prays  for  Himself,  vers,  i  -5. 

2.  Prays  for  disciples,  vers.  6-19. 

3.  Prays  for  Church,  vers.  20-23. 

4.  Conclusion  of  prayer,  vers.  24-26. 

463 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

THE    SHEEP    SCATTERED, 

Section  I.  —  "All  the  Disciples  forsook  Him,  and  fled." 

Matt.  xxvi.  36-41,  55,  56,  69-75,  et  parall. ;  John  xviii.  15-18. 

From  the  supper-chamber,  in  which  we  have  lingered  so 
long,  we  pass  into  the  outside  world,  to  witness  the  behavior 
of  the  eleven  in  the  great  final  crisis.  The  passages  cited 
describe  the  part  they  played  in  the  solemn  scenes  connected 
with  their  Master's  end.  That  part  was  a  sadly  unheroic 
one.  Faith,  love,  principle,  all  gave  way  before  the  instincts 
of  fear,  shame,  and  self-preservation.  The  best  of  the  disci- 
ples—  the  three  who,  as  most  reliable,  were  selected  by  Jesus 
to  keep  Him  company  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  —  utterly 
failed  to  render  the  service  expected  of  them.  While  their 
Lord  was  passing  through  His  agony,  they  fell  asleep,  as 
they  had  done  before  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  Even 
the  picked  men  thus  proved  themselves  to  be  raw  recruits, 
unable  to  shake  off  drowsiness  while  they  did  duty  as  sen- 
tinels. "What!  could  ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour.-*" 
Then,  when  the  enemy  appeared,  both  these  three  and  the 
other  eight  ran  away  panic-stricken.  "  All  the  disciples  for- 
sook Him,  and  fled."  And  finally,  that  one  of  their  number 
who  thought  himself  bolder  than  his  brethren,  not  only  for- 
sook, but  denied  his  beloved  Master,  declaring  with  an  oath, 
"  I  know  not  the  man." 

The  conduct  of  the  disciples  at  this  crisis  in  their  history, 
so  weak  and  so  unmanly,  naturally  gives  rise  to  two  ques- 
tions :  How  should  they  have  acted  .'*  and  why  did  they  act 
as  they  did  —  what  were  the  causes  of  their  failure .'' 

Now,  to  take  up  the  former  of  these  questions  first,  when 
we  try  to  form  to  ourselves  a  distinct  idea  of  the  course  of 
464 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  465 

action  demanded  by  fidelity,  it  is  not  at  once  quite  apparent 
wherein  the  disciples,  Peter  of  course  excepted,  were  at 
fault.  What  could  they  do  when  their  Lord  was  appre- 
hended, but  run  away  ?  Offer  resistance  ?  Jesus  had  posi- 
tively forbidden  that  just  immediately  before.  On  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  band  of  armed  men,  "  when  they  which  were 
about  Him  saw  what  would  follow,  they  said  unto  Him,  Lord, 
shall  we  smite  with  the  sword  .''  "  '  Without  waiting  for  a 
reply,  one  of  them  smote  the  servant  of  the  high  priest,  and 
cut  off  his  right  ear.  The  fighting  disciple,  John  informs  us, 
was  Simon  Peter.  He  had  brought  a  sword  with  him,  one 
of  two  in  the  posssession  of  the  company,  from  the  supper- 
chamber  to  Gethsemane,  thinking  it  might  be  needed,  and 
fully  minded  to  use  it  if  there  was  occasion  ;  and,  coward  as 
he  proved  himself  afterwards  among  the  serving-men  and 
maids,  he  was  no  such  arrant  coward  in  the  garden.  He 
used  his  weapon  boldly  if  not  skilfully,  and  did  some  execu- 
tion, though  happily  not  of  a  deadly  character.  Thereupon 
Jesus  interposed  to  prevent  further  bloodshed,  uttering  words 
variously  reported,  but  in  all  the  different  versions  clearly 
inculcating  a  policy  of  non-resistance.  "  Put  up  again  thy 
sword  into  his  place,"  He  said  to  Peter,  adding  as  His  rea- 
son, "for  all  they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the 
sword ; "  which  was  as  much  as  to  say,  "  In  this  kind  of  war- 
fare we  must  necessarily  have  the  worst  of  it."  Then  He 
went  on  to  hint  at  higher  reasons  for  non-resistance  than 
mere  considerations  of  prudence  or  expediency.  "  Thinkest 
thou,"  He  asked  the  warlike  disciple,  "that  I  cannot  now 
pray  to  my  Father,  and  He  shall  presently  give  me  more  than 
twelve  legions  of  angels  .-'  But  how  then  shall  the  Scriptures 
be  fulfilled,  that  thus  it  must  be  .''  "  ^  He  could  meet  human 
force  by  superior,  divine,  celestial  force  if  He  chose,  but  He 
did  not  choose  ;  for  to  overpower  His  enemies  would  be  to 
defeat  His  own  purpose  in  coming  to  the  world,  which  was 
to  conquer,  not  by  physical  force,  but  by  truth  and  love  and 
godlike  patience  ;  by  drinking  the  cup  which  His  Father  had 
put  into  His  hands,  bitter  though  it  was  to  flesh  and  blood.3 
Quite  in  harmony  with  these  utterances  in  Gethsemane 
are  the  statements  made  by  Jesus  on  the  same  subject  ere 

*  Luke  xxii.  49.  *  Matt.  xxvi.  52-54.  3  John  xviii.  11. 


466  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

He  left  the  supper-room,  as  recorded  by  Luke.'  In  the 
letter,  indeed,  these  statements  seem  to  point  at  a  policy  the 
very  opposite  of  non-resistance.  Jesus  seems  to  say  that 
the  great  business  and  duty  of  the  hour,  for  all  who  are  on  His 
side,  is  to  furnish  themselves  with  swords  :  so  urgent  is  the 
need,  that  he  who  wants  a  weapon  must  sell  his  garment  to 
buy  one.  But  the  very  emphasis  with  which  He  speaks 
shows  that  His  words  are  not  to  be  taken  in  the  literal 
prosaic  sense.  It  is  very  easy  to  see  what  He  means.  His 
object  is  by  graphic  language  to  convey  to  His  disciples  an 
idea  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation.  "  Now,"  He  would  say, 
"  now  is  the  day,  yea,  the  hour  of  battle  :  if  my  kingdom  be 
one  of  this  world,  as  ye  have  imagined,  now  is  the  time  for 
fighting,  not  for  dreaming ;  now  matters  have  come  to  ex- 
tremities, and  ye  have  need  of  all  your  resources  :  equip 
yourselves  with  shoes  and  purse  and  knapsack,  and  above  all, 
with  swords  and  warlike  courage." 

The  disciples  did  not  understand  their  Lord's  meaning. 
They  put  a  stupid,  prosaic  interpretation  upon  this  part,  as 
upon  so  many  other  parts,  of  His  farewell  discourse.  So, 
with  ridiculous  seriousness,  they  said  :  "  Lord,  behold,  here 
are  two  swords."  The  foolish  remark  provoked  a  reply  which 
should  surely  have  opened  their  eyes,  and  kept  Peter  from 
carrying  the  matter  so  far  as  to  take  one  of  the  swords  with 
him.  "  It  is  enough,"  said  Jesus,  probably  with  a  melancholy 
smile  on  His  face,  as  He  thought  of  the  stupid  simplicity  of 
those  dear  childish  and  childlike  men  :  "  It  is  enough."  Two 
swords  :  well,  they  are  enough  only  for  one  who  does  not 
mean  to  fight  at  all.  What  were  two  swords  for  twelve  men, 
and  against  a  hundred  weapons  of  offence .''  The  very  idea 
of  fighting  in  the  circumstances  was  preposterous  :  it  had 
only  to  be  broadly  stated  to  appear  an  absurdity. 

The  disciples,  then,  were  not  called  on  to  fight  for  their 
Master,  that  He  might  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews.  What 
else,  then,  should  they  have  done  }  Was  it  their  duty  to  suf- 
fer with  Him,  and,  carrying  out  the  professions  of  Peter,  to 
go  with  Him  to  prison  and  to  death  }  This  was  not  required 
of  them  either.  When  Jesus  surrendered  Himself  into  the 
hands  of  His  captors,  He  proffered  the  request  that,  while 

'  Luke  xxii.  35-38. 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  467 

taking  Him  into  custody,  they  should  let  His  followers  go 
their  way.'  This  He  did  not  merely  out  of  compassion  for 
them,  but  as  the  Captain  of  salvation  making  the  best  terms 
for  Himself  and  for  the  interests  of  His  kingdom  ;  for  it  was 
not  less  necessary  to  these  that  the  disciples  should  live  than 
that  He  Himself  should  die.  He  gave  Himself  up  to  death, 
that  there  might  be  a  gospel  to  preach ;  He  desired  the 
safety  of  His  disciples,  that  there  might  be  men  to  preach  it. 
Manifestly,  therefore,  it  was  not  the  duty  of  the  disciples  to 
expose  themselves  to  danger :  their  duty  lay  rather,  one 
would  say,  in  the  direction  of  taking  care  of  their  life  for 
future  usefulness. 

Where,  then,  if  not  in  failing  to  fight  for  or  suffer  with 
their  Lord,  did  the  fault  of  the  eleven  lie  .''  It  lay  in  their 
lack  of  faith.  "Believe  in  God,  and  believe  in  me,"  Jesus 
had  said  to  them  at  the  commencement  of  His  farewell 
address,  and  at  the  critical  hour  they  did  neither.  They  did 
not  believe  that  all  would  yet  end  well  both  with  them  and 
their  Master,  and  especially  that  God  would  provide  for  tJicir 
safety  without  any  sacrifice  of  principle,  or  even  of  dignity, 
on  their  part.  They  put  confidence  only  in  the  swiftness  of 
their  feet.  Had  they  possessed  faith  in  God  and  in  Jesus, 
they  would  have  witnessed  their  Lord's  apprehension  with- 
out dismay,  assured  both  of  His  return  and  of  their  own 
safety ;  and,  as  feeling  might  incline,  would  either  have  fol- 
lowed the  officers  of  justice  to  see  what  happened,  or,  averse 
to  exciting  and  painful  scenes,  would  have  retired  quietly  to 
their  dwellings  until  the  tragedy  was  finished.  But  wanting 
faith,  they  neither  calmly  followed  nor  calmly  retired  ;  but 
faithlessly  and  ignominiously  forsook  their  Lord,  and  fled. 
The  sin  lay  not  so  much  in  the  outward  act,  but  in  the  inward 
state  of  mind  of  which  it  was  the  index.  They  fled  in 
unbelief  and  despair,  as  men  whose  hope  was  blasted,  from 
a  man  whose  cause  was  lost,  and  whom  God  had  abandoned 
to  His  enemies. 

Having  ascertained  wherein  the  disciples  were  at  fault,  we 
have  now  to  inquire  into  the  causes  of  their  misconduct ; 
and  here,  at  the  outset,  we  recall  to  mind  that  Jesus  antici- 
pated the  breakdown  of  His  followers.     He  did  not  count 

*  John  xviiL  8. 


468  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

on  their  fidelity,  but  expected  desertion  as  a  matter  of  course. 
When  Peter  offered  to  follow  Him  wheresoever  He  might 
go,  He  told  him  that  ere  cock-crowing  next  morning  he 
would  deny  Him  thrice.  At  the  close  of  the  farewell  address 
He  told  all  the  disciples  that  they  would  leave  Him  alone. 
On  the  way  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  He  repeated  the  state- 
ment in  these  terms  :  "  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of 
me  this  night  ;  for  it  is  written,  I  will  smite  the  Shepherd, 
and  the  sheep  of  the  flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad."  "  And 
on  all  these  occasions  the  tone  in  which  He  spoke  was 
rather  prophetic  than  reproachful.  He  expected  His  disci- 
ples to  be  panic-stricken,  just  as  one  should  expect  sheep  to 
flee  on  the  appearance  of  a  wolf,  or  women  to  faint  in  pres- 
ence of  a  scene  of  carnage.  From  this  leniency  we  should 
infer  that,  in  the  view  of  Jesus,  the  sin  of  the  disciples  was 
one  of  infirmity  ;  and  that  this  was  the  view  which  He  took 
thereof,  we  kmnv  from  the  words  He  addressed  to  the  three 
drowsy  brethren  in  Gethsemane.  "Watch  and  pray,"  He 
said  to  them,  "  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation  :  the  spirit 
indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak."  ^  The  kind  judg- 
ment thus  expressed,  though  pronounced  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  shortcoming  of  Peter,  James,  and  John  in  the 
garden,  manifestly  applies  to  the  whole  conduct  of  all  the 
disciples  (not  even  excepting  Peter's  denial)  throughout 
the  terrible  crisis.  Jesus  regarded  the  eleven  as  men  whose 
attachment  to  Himself  was  above  suspicion,  but  who  were 
liable  to  fall,  through  the  weakness  of  their  flesh,  on  being 
exposed  to  sudden  temptation. 

But  what  are  we  to  understand  by  the  weakness  of  the 
flesh  }  Mere  instinctive  love  of  life,  dread  of  danger,  fear  of 
man  .-'  No ;  for  these  instincts  continued  with  the  apostles 
through  life,  without  leading,  except  in  one  instance,  to  a 
repetition  of  their  present  misconduct.  Not  only  the  flesh 
of  the  disciples,  but  even  the  willing  spirit,  was  weak. 
Their  spiritual  character  at  this  season  was  deficient  in  cer- 
tain elements  which  give  steadiness  to  the  good  impulses  of 
the  heart,  and  mastery  over  the  infirmities  of  sentient  nature. 
The  missing  elements  of  strength  were  :  forethoiight,  clear 
perceptions  of  truth,  self-knowledge,  and  the  discipline  of 
experie7ice. 

'  Matt.  xxvi.  31.  '  Ver.  41. 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  469 

For  want  of  forethought  it  came  to  pass  that  the  appre- 
hension of  their  Lord  took  the  eleven  by  surprise.  This  may 
seem  hardly  credible,  after  the  frequent  intimations  Christ 
had  given  them  of  His  approaching  death  ;  after  the  institu- 
tion of  the  Supper,  the  farewell  address,  the  reference  to  the 
traitor,  the  prophetic  announcement  concerning  their  own 
frailty,  and  the  discourse  about  the  sword,  which  was  like 
a  trumpet-peal  calling  to  battle.  Yet  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  such  was  the  fact.  The  eleven  went  out  to  Gethsemane 
without  any  definite  idea  of  what  was  coming.  These  raw 
recruits  actually  did  not  know  that  they  were  on  the  march 
to  the  battle-field.  The  sleep  of  the  three  disciples  in  the 
garden  is  sufificient  proof  of  this.  Had  the  three  sentinels 
been  thoroughly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  enemy 
was  at  hand,  weary  and  sad  though  they  were,  they  would 
not  have  fallen  asleep.  Fear  would  have  kept  them  awake. 
"  Know  this,  that  if  the  goodman  of  the  house  had  known 
in  what  watch  the  thief  would  come,  he  would  have  watched, 
and  would  not  have  suffered  his  house  to  be  broken  up." 

The  breakdown  of  the  disciples  at  the  final  crisis  was  due 
in  part  also  to  the  want  of  clear  perceptions  of  truth.  They 
did  not  understand  the  doctrine  concerning  Christ.  They  be- 
lieved their  Master  to  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living 
God  ;  but  their  faith  was  twined  around  a  false  theory  of 
Messiah's  mission  and  career.  In  that  theory  the  cross  had 
no  place.  So  long  as  the  cross  was  only  spoken  about,  their 
theory  remained  firmly  rooted  in  their  minds,  and  the  words 
of  their  Master  were  speedily  forgotten.  But  when  the  cross 
at  length  actually  came,  when  the  things  which  Jesus  had 
foretold  began  to  be  fulfilled,  then  their  theory  went  down  like 
a  tree  suddenly  smitten  by  a  whirlwind,  carrying  the  wood- 
bine plant  of  their  faith  along  with  it.  From  the  moment  that 
Jesus  was  apprehended,  all  that  remained  of  faith  in  their 
minds  was  simply  a  regret  that  they  had  been  mistaken  : 
"  We  trusted  that  it  had  been  He  who  should  have  redeemed 
Israel."  How  could  any  one  act  heroically  in  such  circum- 
stances ."* 

A  third  radical  defect  in  the  character  of  the  disciples  was 
self-ignorance.  One  who  knows  his  weakness  may  become 
strong  even  at  the  weak  point ;  but  he  who  knows  not  his 


470  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

weak  points  cannot  be  strong  at  any  point.  Now  the  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus  did  not  know  their  weakness.  They  credited 
themselves  with  an  amount  of  fidelity  and  valor  which  existed 
only  in  their  imagination,  all  adopting  as  their  own  the  senti- 
ment of  Peter :  "  Though  I  should  die  with  Thee,  yet  will  I 
not  deny  Thee."  '  Alas  !  they  did  not  know  how  much  fear 
of  man  was  in  them,  how  much  abject  cowardice  in  presence 
of  danger.  Of  course,  when  danger  actually  appeared,  the 
usual  consequence  of  self-conscious  valor  followed.  All  these 
stout-hearted  disciples  forsook  their  Master,  and  fled. 

The  last,  and  not  the  least,  cause  of  weakness  in  the  dis- 
ciples was  their  inexperience  of  such  scenes  as  they  were 
now  to  pass  through.  Experience  of  war  is  one  great  cause 
of  the  coolness  and  courage  of  veteran  soldiers  in  the  midst 
of  danger.  Practical  acquaintance  with  the  perils  of  military 
life  makes  them  callous  and  fearless.  But  Christ's  disciples 
were  not  yet  veterans.  They  were  now  but  entering  into 
their  first  engagement.  Hitherto  they  had  experienced  only 
such  trials  as  befall  even  the  rawest  recruits.  They  had  been 
called  on  to  leave  home,  friends,  fishing-boats,  and  their 
earthly  all,  to  follow  Jesus.  But  these  initial  hardships  do 
not  make  a  soldier ;  no,  nor  even  the  discipline  of  the  drill- 
sergeant,  nor  the  donning  of  a  uniform.  For  behold  the 
green  soft  youth  with  his  bright  uniform  brought  face  to  face 
with  the  stern  reality  of  battle.  His  knees  smite  each  other, 
his  heart  sickens,  perchance  he  faints  outright,  and  is  carried 
to  the  rear,  unable  to  take  any  part  in  the  fight.  Poor  lad, 
pity  him,  do  not  scorn  him  ;  he  may  turn  out  a  brave  soldier 
yet.  Even  Frederick  the  Great  ran  away  from  his  first 
battle.  The  bravest  of  soldiers  probably  do  not  feel  very 
heroic  the  first  time  they  are  under  fire. 

These  observations  help  us  to  understand  how  it  came  to 
pass  that  the  little  flock  was  scattered  when  Jesus  their  shep- 
herd was  smitten.  The  explanation  amounts  in  substance  to 
a  proof  that  the  disciples  were  sheep,  not  yet  fit  to  be  shep- 
herds of  men.  That  being  so,  we  do  not  wonder  at  the 
leniency  of  Jesus,  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made. 
No  one  expects  sheep  to  do  any  thing  else  than  flee  when 
the  wolf  Cometh.     Only  in  shepherds  is  craven  fear  severely 

^  Matt.  xxvi.  35. 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  471 

reprehensible.  Bearing  this  in  mind,  we  shall  more  readily 
forgive  Peter  for  denying  his  Lord  in  an  unguarded  moment, 
than  for  his  cowardice  at  Antioch  some  years  after,  when  he 
gave  the  cold  shoulder  to  his  Gentile  brethren,  through  fear 
of  the  Jewish  sectaries  from  Jerusalem.  Peter  was  a  shep- 
herd then,  and  it  was  his  duty  to  lead  the  sheep,  or  even  to 
carry  them  against  their  inclination  into  the  wide  green 
pastures  of  Christian  liberty,  instead  of  tamely  following 
those  who,  by  their  scrupulosity,  showed  themselves  to  be 
but  lambs  in  Christ's  flock.  His  actual  behavior  was  very 
culpable  and  very  mischievous.  For  though  in  reality  not 
leading,  but  led,  he,  as  an  apostle,  enjoyed  the  reputation 
and  influence  of  a  chief  shepherd,  and  therefore  had  no  option 
but  either  to  lead  or  to  mislead  ;  and  he  did  mislead,  to  such 
an  extent  that  even  Barnabas  was  carried  away  by  his  dissimu- 
lation. It  is  a  serious  thing  for  the  Church  when  those  who 
are  shepherds  in  office  and  influence  are  sheep  in  opinion 
and  heart ;  leaders  in  name,  led  in  fact. 

Section  II.  — Sifted  as  Wheat. 

Luke  xxii.  31,  32. 

This  fragment  of  the  conversation  at  the  supper-table  is 
important,  as  showing  us  the  view  taken  by  Jesus  of  the 
crisis  through  which  His  disciples  were  about  to  pass.  In 
form  an  address  to  Peter,  it  is  really  a  word  in  season  to  all, 
and  concerning  all.  This  is  evident  from  the  use  of  the 
plural  pronoun  in  addressing  the  disciple  directly  spoken  to. 
"Satan,"  says  Jesus,  "hath  desired  to  have  (not  thee,  but) 
you:"  thee,  Simon,  and  also  all  thy  brethren  along  with 
thee.  The  same  thing  appears  from  the  injunction  laid  on 
Peter  to  turn  his  fall  to  account  for  the  benefit  of  his  brethi^en. 
The  brethren,  of  course,  are  not  the  other  disciples  then 
present  alone,  but  all  who  should  believe  as  well.  The 
apostles,  however,  are  not  to  be  excluded  from  the  brother- 
hood who  were  to  be  benefited  by  Peter's  experience ;  on 
the  contrary,  they  are  probably  the  parties  principally  and 
in  the  first  place  intended. 

Looking,  then,  at  this  utterance  as  expressive  of  the  judg- 
ment of  Jesus  on  the  character  of  the  ensuing  crisis  in  the 


472  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

history  of  the  future  apostles,  we  find  in  it  three  noticeable 
particulars. 

I.  First,  Jesus  regards  the  crisis  as  a  sifting-\S.vi\Q.  for  the 
disciples.  Satan,  the  accuser  of  the  brethren,  sceptical  of 
their  fidelity  and  integrity,  as  of  Job's  and  of  all  good  men's, 
was  to  sift  them  as  wheat,  hopeful  that  they  would  turn  out 
mere  chaff,  and  become  apostates  like  Judas,  or  at  least  that 
they  would  make  a  miserable  and  scandalous  breakdown.  In 
this  respect  this  final  crisis  was  like  the  one  at  Capernaum 
a  year  before.  That  also  was  a  sifting-time  for  Christ's  dis- 
cipleship.  Chaff  and  wheat  were  then,  too,  separated,  the 
chaff  proving  to  be  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  wheat,  for 
^^  many  went  back,  and  walked  no  more  with  Him." 

But  alongside  of  this  general  resemblance  between  the  two 
crises,  —  the  minor  and  the  major  we  may  call  them, — an 
important  difference  is  to  be  observed.  In  the  minor  crisis, 
the  chosen  few  were  the  pure  wheat,  the  fickle  multitude 
being  the  chaff ;  in  the  major,  they  are  both  wheat  and  chaff 
in  one,  and  the  sifting  is  not  between  man  and  man,  but 
between  the  good  and  the  bad,  the  precious  and  the  vile,  in 
the  same  man.  The  hearts  of  the  eleven  faithful  ones  are 
to  be  searched,  and  all  their  latent  weakness  discovered :  the 
old  man  is  to  be  divided  asunder  from  the  new ;  the  vain, 
self-confident,  self-willed,  impetuous  Simon  son  of  Jonas, 
from  the  devoted,  chivalrous,  heroic,  rock-like  Peter. 

This  distinction  between  the  two  crises  implies  that  the 
later  was  of  a  more  searching  character  than  the  earlier ; 
and  that  it  was  so  indeed,  is  obvious  on  a  moment's  reflec- 
tion. Consider  only  how  different  the  situation  of  the  dis- 
ciples in  the  two  cases  !  In  the  minor  crisis,  the  multitude 
go,  but  Jesus  remains  ;  in  the  major,  Jesus  Himself  is  taken 
from  them,  and  they  are  left  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd. 
A  mighty  difference  truly,  sufficiently  explaining  the  differ- 
ence in  the  conduct  of  the  same  men  on  the  two  occasions. 
It  was  no  doubt  very  disappointing  and  disheartening  to  see 
the  mass  of  people  who  had  lately  followed  their  Master 
with  enthusiasm,  dispersing  like  an  idle  mob  after  seeing  a 
show.  But  while  the  Master  remained,  they  would  not  break 
their  hearts  about  the  defection  of  spurious  disciples.  They 
loved  Jesus  for  His  own  sake,  not  for  His  popularity  or  for 


The  Sheep  Scattered,  473 

any  other  by-end.  He  was  their  teacher,  and  could  give 
them  the  bread  of  eternal  truth,  which,  and  not  the  bread 
that  perisheth,  was  what  they  were  in  quest  of :  He  was 
their  Head,  their  Father,  their  Elder  Brother,  their  spiritual 
Husband,  and  they  would  cling  to  Him  through  all  fortunes, 
with  filial,  brotherly,  wifely  fidelity.  He  being  more  to  them 
than  the  whole  world  outside.  If  their  prospects  looked  dark 
even  with  Him,  where  could  they  go  to  be  any  better.-* 
They  had  no  choice  but  to  remain  where  they  were. 

Remain  accordingly  they  did,  faithfully,  manfully  ;  kept 
steadfast  by  sincerity,  a  clear  perception  of  the  alternatives, 
and  ardent  love  to  their  Lord.  But  now,  alas  !  when  it  is 
not  the  multitude,  but  Jesus  Himself,  that  leaves  them,  — 
not  forsaking  them,  indeed,  but  torn  from  them  by  the 
strong  hand  of  worldly  power,  — what  are  they  to  do  }  Now 
they  may  well  ask  Peter's  question,  "  To  whom  shall  we  go  }  " 
despairing  of  an  answer.  He  whose  presence  was  their 
solace  at  a  trying,  discouraging  season,  who  at  the  worst, 
even  when  His  doctrine  was  mysterious  and  His  conduct  in- 
comprehensible, was  more  to  them  than  all  else  in  the  world 
at  its  best ;  even  He  is  reft  from  their  side,  and  now  they  are 
utterly  forlorn,  without  a  master,  a  champion,  a  guide,  a 
friend,  a  father.  Worse  still,  in  losing  Him  they  lose  not 
merely  their  best  friend,  but  their  faith.  They  could  believe 
Jesus  to  be  the  Christ,  although  the  multitude  apostatized ; 
for  they  could  regard  such  apostasy  as  the  effect  of  ignorance, 
shallowness,  insincerity.  But  how  can  they  believe  in  the 
Messiahship  of  one  who  is  led  away  to  prison  in  place  of  a 
throne  ;  and  instead  of  being  crowned  a  king,  is  on  His  way 
to  be  executed  as  a  felon  1  Bereft  of  Jesus  in  this  fashion, 
they  are  bereft  of  their  Christ  as  well.  The  unbelieving 
world  asks  them,  "Where  is  thy  God  V  and  they  can  make 
no  reply. 

"  Christ  and  we  against  the  world  ;"  "  Christ  in  the  world's 
power,  and  we  left  alone  : "  such,  in  brief,  was  the  difference 
between  the  two  sifting  seasons.  The  results  of  the  sifting 
process  were  correspondingly  diverse.  In  the  one  case,  it 
separated  between  the  sincere  and  the  insincere ;  in  the 
other,  it  discovered  weakness  even  in  the  sincere.  The  men 
who  on  the  earlier  occasion  stood  resolutely  to  their  colors, 


474  ^/^"^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

on  the  later  fled  panic-stricken,  consulting  for  their  safety 
without  dignity,  and,  in  one  case  at  least,  with  shameful  dis- 
regard  of  truth.  Behold  how  weak  even  good  men  are  with- 
out faith  !  With  faith,  however  crude  or  ill-informed,  you 
may  overcome  the  whole  world  ;  without  the  faith  that  places 
God  consciously  at  your  side,  you  have  no  chance.  Satan 
will  get  possession  of  you  and  sift  you,  and  cause  you  to 
equivocate  with  Abraham,  feign  madness  with  David,  dis- 
semble and  swear  falsely  or  profanely  with  Peter.  No  one 
can  tell  how  far  you  may  fall  if  you  lose  faith  in  God.  The 
just  live  justly,  nobly,  only  by  their  faith. 

2.  Jesus  regards  the  crisis  through  which  His  disciples  are 
to  pass  as  one  which,  though  perilous,  shall  not  prove  deadly 
to  their  faith.  His  hope  is  that  though  they  fall,  they  shall 
not  fall  away ;  though  the  sun  of  faith  be  eclipsed,  it  shall 
not  be  extinguished.  He  has  this  hope  even  in  regard  to 
Peter,  having  taken  care  to  avert  so  disastrous  a  catastrophe. 
"  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that  thy  faith  fail  not."  And  the  re- 
sult was  as  He  anticipated.  The  disciples  showed  themselves 
weak  in  the  final  crisis,  but  not  wicked.  Satan  tripped  them 
up,  but  he  did  not  enter  into  and  possess  them.  In  this 
respect  they  differed  toto  ccelo  from  Judas,  who  not  only  lost 
his  faith,  but  cast  away  his  love,  and,  abandoning  his  Lord, 
went  over  to  the  enemy,  and  became  a  tool  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  their  wicked  designs.  The  eleven,  at  their 
worst,  continued  faithful  to  their  Master  in  heart.  They 
neither  committed,  nor  were  capable  of  committing,  acts  of 
perfidy,  but  even  in  fleeing  identified  themselves  with  the 
losing  side. 

But  Peter,  what  of  him  .''  was  not  he  an  exception  to  this 
statement  1  Well,  he  certainly  did  more  than  fail  in  faith ; 
and  we  have  no  wish  to  extenuate  the  gravity  of  his  offence, 
but  would  rather  see  in  it  a  solemn  illustration  of  the  close 
proximity  into  which  the  best  men  may  be  brought  with  the 
worst.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  only  just  to  remark  that 
there  is  a  wide  difference  between  denying  Christ  among  the 
servants  of  the  high  priest,  and  betraying  Him  into  the  hands 
of  the  high  priest  himself  for  a  sum  of  money.  The  latter 
act  is  the  crime  of  a  traitor  knave  ;  the  former  might  be 
committed  by  one  who  would  be  true  to  his  master  on  all 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  475 

occasions  in  which  his  interests  seemed  seriously  involved. 
In  denying  Jesus,  Peter  thought  that  he  was  saving  himself 
by  dissimulation,  without  doing  any  material  injury  to  his 
Lord.  His  act  resembled  that  of  Abraham  when  he  cir- 
culated the  lying  story  about  his  wife  being  his  sister,  to 
protect  himself  from  the  violence  of  licentious  strangers. 
That  was  certainly  a  very  mean,  selfish  act,  most  unworthy 
of  the  father  of  the  faithful.  Peter's  act  was  not  less  mean 
and  selfish,  but  also  not  more.  Both  were  acts  of  weakness 
rather  than  of  wickedness,  for  which  few,  even  among  good 
men,  can  afford  to  throw  stones  at  the  patriarch  and  the  dis- 
ciple. Even  those  who  play  the  hero  on  great  occasions  will 
at  other  times  act  very  unworthily.  Many  men  conceal  and 
belie  their  convictions  at  the  dinner-table,  who  would  boldly 
proclaim  their  sentiments  from  the  pulpit  or  the  platform. 
Standing  in  the  place  where  Christ's  servants  are  expected 
to  speak  the  truth,  they  draw  their  swords  bravely  in  defence 
of  their  Lord  ;  but,  mixing  in  society  on  equal  terms,  they 
too  often  say  in  effect,  "I  know  not  the  man."  Peter's 
offence,  therefore,  if  grave,  is  certainly  not  uncommon.  It 
is  committed  virtually,  if  not  formally,  by  multitudes  who  are 
utterly  incapable  of  public  deliberate  treason  against  truth 
and  God.  The  erring  disciple  was  much  more  singular  in 
his  repentance  than  in  his  sin.  Of  all  who  in  mere  acts  of 
weakness  virtually  deny  Christ,  how  few,  like  him,  go  out 
and  weep  bitterly  ! 

That  Peter  did  not  fall  as  Judas  fell,  utterly  and  irrevocably, 
was  due  in  part  to  a  radical  difference  between  the  two  men. 
Peter  was  at  heart  a  child  of  God  ;  Judas,  in  the  core  of  his 
being,  had  been  all  along  a  child  of  Satan.  Therefore  we  may 
say  that  Peter  could  not  have  sinned  as  Judas  sinned,  nor 
could  Judas  have  repented  as  Peter  repented.  Yet,  while  we 
say  this,  we  must  not  forget  that  Peter  was  kept  from  falling 
away  by  special  grace  granted  to  him  in  answer  to  his  Master's 
prayers.  The  precise  terms  in  which  Jesus  prayed  for  Peter 
we  do  not  know ;  for  the  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  one  disciple 
has  not,  like  that  for  the  whole  eleven,  been  recorded.  But 
the  drift  of  these  special  intercessions  is  plain,  from  the 
account  given  of  them  by  Jesus  to  Peter.  The  Master  had 
prayed  that  His  disciple's  faith  might  not  fail.     He  had  not 


476  The  Trainifig  of  the  Twelve. 

prayed  that  he  might  be  exempt  from  Satan's  sifting  process, 
or  even  kept  from  falling  ;  for  He  knew  that  a  fall  was  neces- 
sary, to  show  the  self-confident  disciple  his  own  weakness. 
He  had  prayed  that  Peter's  fall  might  not  be  ruinous  ;  that 
his  grievous  sin  might  be  followed  by  godly  sorrow,  not  by 
hardening  of  heart,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  the  traitor,  by  the 
sorrow  of  the  world,  which  worketh  death  :  the  remorse  of  a 
guilty  conscience,  which,  like  the  furies,  drives  the  sinner 
headlong  to  damnation.  And  in  Peter's  repentance,  imme- 
diately after  his  denials,  we  see  the  fulfilment  of  his  Master's 
prayer,  special  grace  being  given  to  melt  his  heart,  and  over- 
whelm him  with  generous  grief,  and  cause  him  to  weep  out 
his  soul  in  tears.  Not  by  his  piety  or  goodness  of  heart  was 
the  salutary  result  produced,  but  by  God's  Spirit  and  God's 
providence  conspiring  to  that  end.  But  for  the  cock-crowing, 
and  the  warning  words  it  recalled  to  mind,  and  the  glance  of 
Jesus'  eye,  and  the  tender  mercy  of  the  Father  in  heaven, 
who  can  tell  what  sullen  devilish  humors  might  have  taken 
possession  of  the  guilty  disciple's  heart !  Remember  how 
long  even  the  godly  David  gave  place  to  the  devil,  and  har- 
bored in  his  bosom  the  demons  of  pride,  falsehood,  and 
impenitence,  after  his  grievous  fall ;  and  see  how  far  it  was 
from  being  a  matter  of  course  that  Peter,  immediately  after 
denying  Christ,  should  come  under  the  blessed  influence  of 
a  broken  and  contrite  spirit,  or  even  that  the  spiritual  crisis 
through  which  he  passed  had  a  happy  issue  at  all.  By  grace 
he  was  saved,  as  are  we  all. 

3.  Jesus  regards  the  crisis  about  to  be  gone  through  by 
His  disciples  as  one  which  shall  not  only  end  happily,  but 
result  in  spiritual  benefit  to  themselves,  and  qualify  them  for 
being  helpful  to  others.  This  appears  from  the  injunction 
He  lays  on  Peter:  "When  thou  art  converted,  strengthen 
thy  brethren."  Jesus  expects  the  frail  disciple  to  become 
strong  in  grace,  and  so  able  and  willing  to  help  the  weak. 
He  cherishes  this  expectation  with  respect  to  all,  but  specially 
in  regard  to  Peter,  assuming  that  the  weakest  might  and 
ought  eventually  to  become  the  strongest ;  the  last  first, 
the  greatest  sinner  the  greatest  saint ;  the  most  foolish  the 
wisest,  most  benignant,  and  sympathetic  of  men. 

How  encouraging  this  genial,  kindly  view  of  moral  short- 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  477 

coming  to  such  as  have  erred  !  The  Saviour  says  to  them  in 
effect,  There  is  no  cause  for  despair :  sin  cannot  only  be  for- 
given, but  it  can  even  be  turned  to  good  account  both  for 
yourselves  and  for  others.  Falls,  rightly  improved,  may 
become  stepping-stones  to  Christian  virtue,  and  a  training 
for  the  ofhce  of  a  comforter  and  guide.  How  healing  such 
a  view  to  the  troubled  conscience  !  Men  who  have  erred, 
and  who  take  a  serious  thought  of  their  sin,  are  apt  to  con- 
sume their  hearts  and  waste  their  time  in  bitter  reflections 
on  their  past  misconduct.  Christ  gives  them  more  profitable 
work  to  do.  "  When  thou  art  converted,"  He  says  to  them, 
"  strengthen  thy  brethren  :  "  cease  from  idle  regrets  over  the 
irrevocable  past,  and  devote  thyself  heart  and  soul  to  labors 
of  love  ;  and  let  it  help  thee  to  forgive  thyself,  that  from  thy 
very  faults  and  follies  thou  mayest  learn  the  meekness, 
patience,  compassion,  and  wisdom  necessary  for  carrying  on 
such  labors  with  success. 

But  while  very  encouraging  to  those  who  have  sinned, 
Christ's  words  to  Simon  contain  no  encouragement  to  sin. 
It  is  a  favorite  doctrine  with  some, — that  we  may  do  evil 
that  good  may  come ;  that  we  must  be  prodigals  in  order  to 
be  good  Christians  ;  that  a  mud  bath  must  precede  the  wash- 
ing of  regeneration  and  the  baptism  of  the  soul  in  the 
Redeemer's  blood.  This  is  a  false,  pernicious  doctrine,  of 
which  the  Holy  One  could  not  be  the  patron.  Do  evil  that 
good  may  come,  say  you .-'  And  what  if  the  good  come  not  .-* 
It  does  not  come,  as  we  have  seen,  as  a  matter  of  course  ; 
nor  is  it  the  likelier  to  come  that  you  make  the  hope  of  its 
coming  the  pretext  for  sinning.  If  the  good  ever  come,  it 
will  come  through  the  strait  gate  of  repentance.  You  can 
become  wise,  gracious,  meek,  sympathetic,  a  burden-bearer 
to  the  weak,  only  by  going  out  first  and  weeping  bitterly. 
But  what  chance  is  there  of  such  a  penitential  melting  of 
heart  appearing  in  one  who  adopts  and  acts  on  the  principle 
that  a  curriculum  of  sin  is  necessary  to  the  attainment  of 
insight,  self-knowledge,  compassion,  and  all  the  humane 
virtues  }  The  probable  issue  of  such  a  training  is  a 
hardened  heart,  a  seared  conscience,  a  perverted  moral  judg- 
ment, the  extirpation  of  all  earnest  convictions  respecting 
the  difference  between  right  and  wrong ;   the  opinion  that 


47^  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

evil  leads  to  good  insensibly  transforming  itself  into  the  idea 
that  evil  is  good,  and  fitting  its  advocate  for  committing  sin 
without  shame  or  compunction. 

"  And  dare  we  to  this  fancy  give, 

That  had  the  wild-oat  not  been  sown. 
The  soil,  left  barren,  scarce  had  grown 
The  grain  by  which  a  man  may  live  ? 

Oh,  if  we  held  the  doctrine  sound, 

For  life  outliving  heats  of  youth ; 

Yet  who  would  preach  it  as  a  truth 
To  those  that  eddy  round  and  round  ? 

Hold  thou  the  good  ;  define  it  well : 
For  fear  divine  Philosophy 
Should  push  beyond  her  mark,  and  be 

Procuress  to  the  lords  of  hell.*'  ^ 

In  Peter's  case  good  did  come  out  of  evil.  The  sifting 
time  formed  a  turning-point  in  his  spiritual  history :  the  sift- 
ing process  had  for  its  result  a  second  conversion  more 
thorough  than  the  first,  — a  turning  from  sin,  not  merely  in 
general,  but  in  detail ;  from  besetting  sins,  in  better  informed 
if  not  more  fervent  repentance,  and  with  a  purpose  of  new 
obedience  less  self-reliant,  but  just  on  that  account  more 
reliable.  A  child  hitherto, — a  child  of  God,  indeed,  yet 
only  a  child,  —  Peter  became  a  man  strong  in  grace,  and  fit 
to  bear  the  burden  of  the  weak.  Yet  it  is  worthy  of  notice, 
as  showing  how  little  sympathy  the  Author  of  our  faith  had 
with  the  doctrine  that  evil  may  be  done  for  the  sake  of  good, 
that  Jesus,  while  aware  how  Peter's  fall  would  end,  did  not 
on  that  account  regard  it  as  desirable.  He  said  not,  "/have 
desired  to  sift  thee,"  but  assigns  the  task  of  sifting  the  di;^ 
ciple  to  the  evil  spirit  who  in  the  beginning  tempted  our 
first  parent  to  sin  by  the  specious  argument,  "  Ye  shall  be 
as  gods,  knowing  good  and  evil,"  reserving  to  Himself  the 
part  of  an  intercessor,  who  prays  that  the  evil  permitted 
may  be  overruled  for  good.  "  Satan  hath  desired  to  have 
you  :"  "I  have  prayed  for  thee."  What  words  could  more 
strongly  convey  the  idea  of  guilt  and  peril  than  these,  which 
intimate  that  Simon  is  about  to  do  a  deed  which  is  an  object 

1  Tennyson,  In  Memoriam,  liii. 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  479 

of  desire  to  the  evil  one,  and  which  makes  it  necessary  that 
he  should  be  specially  prayed  for  by  the  Saviour  of  souls  ? 
Men  must  go  elsewhere  in  quest  of  support  for  apologetic  or 
pantheistic  views  of  sin. 

But  it  may  be  thought  that  the  reference  to  Satan  tends 
in  another  way  to  weaken  moral  earnestness,  by  encouraging 
men  to  throw  the  blame  of  their  falls  on  him.  Theoretically 
plausible,  this  objection  is  practically  contrary  to  fact ;  for 
the  patrons  of  lax  notions  of  sin  are  also  the  unbelievers  in 
the  personality  of  the  devil.  "  The  further  the  age  has 
removed  from  the  idea  of  a  devil,  the  laxer  it  has  become 
in  the  imputation  and  punishment  of  sin.  The  older  time, 
which  did  not  deny  the  temptations  and  assaults  of  the 
devil,  was  yet  so  little  inclined  on  that  account  to  excuse 
men,  that  it  regarded  the  neglect  of  resistance  against  the 
evil  spirit,  or  the  yielding  to  him,  as  the  extreme  degree  of 
guilt,  and  exercised  against  it  a  judicial  severity  from  which 
we  shrink  with  horror.  The  opposite  extreme  to  this  strict- 
ness is  the  laxity  of  recent  criminal  jurisprudence,  in  which 
judges  and  physicians  are  too  much  inclined  to  excuse  the 
guilty  from  physical  or  psychical  grounds,  while  the  moral 
judgment  of  public  opinion  is  slack  and  indulgent.  It  is 
undeniable  that  to  every  sin  not  only  a  bad  will,  but  also  the 
spell  of  some  temptation,  contributes  ;  and  when  temptation 
is  not  ascribed  to  the  devil,  the  sinner  does  not  on  that 
account  impute  blame  to  his  bad  will,  but  to  temptations 
springing  from  some  other  quarter,  which  he  does  not  derive 
from  sin,  but  from  nature,  although  nature  tempts  only  when 
under  the  influence  of  sin.  The  world  and  the  flesh  are 
indeed  powers  of  temptation,  not  through  their  natural  sub- 
stance,  but  through  the  influence  of  the  bad  with  which 
they  are  infected.  But  when,  as  at  present,  the  seduction 
to  evil  is  referred  to  sensuality,  temperament,  physical  lusts 
and  passions,  circumstances,  or  fixed  ideas,  monomanias,  etc., 
guilt  is  taken  off  the  sinner's  shoulders,  and  laid  upon  some- 
thing ethically  indifferent  or  simply  natural."  ' 

The  view  presented  by  Jesus  of  His  disciple's  fall  cannot 
therefore  be  charged  with  weakening  the  sense  of  responsi- 
bility ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  a  view  tending  at  once  to  inspire 

*  Sartorius,  Die  Lehre  voti  der  heiligen  Liebe,  pp.  79,  80. 


480  The   Trahiing  of  the   Twelve. 

hatred  of  sin  and  hope  for  the  sinner.  It  exhibits  sin  about 
to  be  committed  as  an  object  of  fear  and  abhorrence;  and, 
already  committed,  as  not  only  forgivable,  being  repented 
of,  but  as  capable  of  being  made  serviceable  to  spiritual 
progress.  It  says  to  us,  on  the  one  hand,  Trifle  not  with 
temptation,  for  Satan  is  near,  seeking  thy  soul's  ruin,  — 
"fear,  and  sin  not;"  and,  on  the  other  hand,  "If  any  man 
sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 
righteous,"  —  despair  not:  forsake  thy  sins,  and  thou  shalt 
find  mercy. 

Section  III.  —  Peter  and  John. 

John  xviii.  15-18,  xix.  25-27. 

Though  all  the  disciples,  without  exception,  forsook  Jesus 
at  the  moment  of  His  apprehension,  two  of  them  soon  re- 
covered their  courage  sufficiently  to  return  from  flight,  and 
follow  after  their  Master  as  He  was  being  led  away  to  judg- 
ment. One  of  these  was  Simon  Peter,  ever  original  both  in 
good  and  in  evil,  who,  we  are  told,  followed  Jesus  "afar  off 
unto  the  high  priest's  palace,  to  see  the  end."  '  The  other, 
according  to  the  general,  and  we  think  correct,  opinion  of 
interpreters,  was  John.  He  is  indeed  not  named,  but  merely 
described  as  another,  or  rather  the  other,  disciple ;  but  as 
John  himself  is  our  informant,  the  fact  is  almost  certain  evi- 
dence that  he  is  the  person  alluded  to.  "The  other  dis- 
ciple," who  "was  known  unto  the  high  priest,  and  went  in 
with  Jesus  into  the  palace  of  the  high  priest,"  ^  is  the  well- 
known  unnamed  one  who  so  often  meets  us  in  the  fourth 
Gospel.  Had  the  man  whose  conduct  was  so  outstanding 
been  any  other  than  the  evangelist,  he  would  certainly  not 
have  remained  nameless  in  a  narrative  so  minutely  exact, 
that  even  the  name  of  the  servant  whose  ear  Peter  cut  off  is 
not  deemed  too  insignificant  to  be  recorded.^ 

These  two  disciples,  though  very  different  in  character, 
seem  to  have  had  a  friendship  for  each  other.  On  various 
occasions  besides  the  present  we  find  their  names  associated 
in  a  manner  suggestive  of  a  special  attachment.  At  the 
supper-table,  when  the  announcement  concerning  the  traitor 

'  Matt.  xxvi.  58.  ^  John  xviii.  15.  '  John  xviii.  10. 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  481 

had  been  made,  Peter  gave  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  a 
sign  that  he  should  ask  who  it  should  be  of  whom  He  spake. 
Three  times  in  the  interval  between  the  resurrection  and  the 
ascension  the  two  brethren  were  linked  together  as  com- 
panions. They  ran  together  to  the  sepulchre  on  the  resur- 
rection morning.  They  talked  together  confidentially  con- 
cerning the  stranger  who  appeared  at  early  dawn  on  the 
shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  when  they  were  out  on  their 
last  fishing  expedition,  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  on 
recognizing  the  Risen  One,  saying  unto  Peter,  "  It  is  the 
Lord."  They  walked  together  shortly  after  on  the  shore, 
following  Jesus,  —  Peter  by  commandment,  John  by  the 
voluntary  impulse  of  his  own  loving  heart.  An  intimacy 
cemented  by  such  sacred  associations  was  likely  to  be  per- 
manent, and  we  find  the  two  disciples  still  companions  after 
they  had  entered  on  the  duties  of  the  apostleship.  They 
went  up  together  into  the  temple  at  the  hour  of  prayer  ;  and, 
having  got  into  trouble  through  the  healing  of  the  lame  man 
at  the  temple  gate,  they  appeared  together  before  the  eccle- 
siastical tribunal,  to  be  tried  by  the  very  same  men,  Annas 
and  Caiaphas,  who  had  sat  in  judgment  upon  their  Lord, 
companions  now  at  the  bar,  as  they  had  been  before  in  the 
palace,  of  the  high  priest. 

Such  a  friendship  between  the  two  disciples  as  these  facts 
point  to,  is  by  no  means  surprising.  As  belonging  to  the 
inner  circle  of  three  whom  Jesus  honored  with  His  con- 
fidence on  special  occasions,  they  had  opportunities  for 
becoming  intimate,  and  were  placed  in  circumstances  tend- 
ing to  unite  them  in  the  closest  bonds  of  spiritual  brother- 
hood. And,  notwithstanding  their  characteristic  differences, 
they  were  fitted  to  be  special  friends.  They  were  both  men 
of  marked  originality  and  force  of  character,  and  they  would 
find  in  each  other  more  sources  of  interest  than  in  the  more 
commonplace  members  of  the  apostolic  band.  Their  very 
peculiarities,  too,  far  from  keeping  them  apart,  would  rather 
draw  them  together.  They  were  so  constituted  that  each 
would  find  in  the  other  the  complement  of  himself.  Peter 
was  masculine,  John  was  feminine,  in  temperament  ;  Peter 
was  the  man  of  action,  John  the  man  of  thought  and  feeling; 
Peter's  part  was  to  be  a  leader  and  a  champion,  John's  was 


482  The  Trai7iing  of  the  Twelve. 

to  cling,  and  trust,  and  be  loved  ;  Peter  was  the  hero,  and 
John  the  admirer  of  heroism. 

In  their  respective  behavior  at  this  crisis,  the  two  friends 
were  at  once  like  and  unlike  each  other.  They  were  like  in 
this,  that  they  both  manifested  a  generous  solicitude  about 
the  fate  of  their  Master.  While  the  rest  retired  altogether 
from  the  scene,  they  followed  to  see  the  end.  The  common 
action  proceeded  in  both  probably  from  the  same  motives. 
What  these  motives  were  we  are  not  told,  but  it  is  not 
difficult  to  guess.  A  certain  influence  may  be  assigned,  in 
the  first  place,  to  natural  activity  of  spirit.  It  was  not  in  the 
nature  either  of  Peter  or  of  John  to  be  listless  and  passive 
while  such  grave  events  were  going  on.  They  could  not  sit 
at  home  doing  nothing  while  their  Lord  was  being  tried,  sen- 
tenced, and  treated  as  a  malefactor.  If  they  cannot  prevent, 
they  will  at  least  witness.  His  last  sufferings.  The  same 
irrepressible  energy  of  mind  which,  three  days  after,  made 
these  two  disciples  run  to  see  the  empty  grave,  now  impels 
them  to  turn  their  steps  towards  the  judgment-hall  to  wit- 
ness the  transactions  there. 

Besides  activity  of  mind,  we  perceive  in  the  conduct  of 
the  two  disciples  a  certain  spirit  of  daring  at  work.  We 
learn  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  when  Peter  and 
John  appeared  before  the  council  in  Jerusalem,  the  rulers 
were  struck  with  their  boldness.  Their  boldness  then  was 
only  what  was  to  be  expected  from  men  who  had  behaved  as 
they  did  at  this  crisis.  By  that  time,  it  is  true,  they  had,  in 
common  with  all  their  brethren,  experienced  a  great  spiritual 
change  ;  but  yet  we  cannot  fail  to  recognize  the  identity  of 
the  characters.  The  apostles  had  but  grown  to  such  spiritual 
manhood  as  they  gave  promise  of  in  the  days  of  their  disci- 
pleship.  For  it  was  a  brave  thing  in  them  to  follow,  even  at 
a  distance,  the  band  which  had  taken  Jesus  a  prisoner.  The 
rudiments  at  least  of  the  martyr  character  were  in  men  who 
could  do  that.  Mere  cowards  would  not  have  acted  so. 
They  would  have  eagerly  availed  themselves  of  the  virtual 
sanction  given  by  Jesus  to  flight,  comforting  their  hearts  with 
the  thought  that,  in  consulting  for  their  safety,  they  were 
but  doing  the  duty  enjoined  on  them. 

But  the  conduct  of  the  two  brethren  sprang,  we  believe, 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  483 

mainly  from  their  ardent  love  to  Jesus.  When  the  first 
paroxysm  of  fear  was  past,  solicitude  for  personal  safety 
gave  place  to  generous  concern  about  the  fate  of  one  whom 
they  really  loved  more  than  life.  The  love  of  Christ  con- 
strained them  to  think  not  of  themselves,  but  of  Him  whose 
hour  of  sorrow  was  come.  First  they  slacken  their  pace, 
then  they  halt,  then  they  look  round  ;  and  as  they  see  the 
armed  band  nearing  the  city,  they  are  cut  to  the  heart,  and 
they  say  within  themselves,  "  We  cannot  leave  our  dear 
Master  in  His  time  of  peril ;  we  must  see  the  issue  of  this 
painful  business"  And  so  with  anguished  spirit  they  set 
out  towards  Jerusalem,  Peter  first,  and  John  after  him. 

The  two  brethren,  companions  thus  far,  diverged  widely 
on  arriving  at  the  scene  of  trial  and  suffering.  John  clung 
to  his  beloved  Lord  to  the  last.  He  was  present,  it  would 
appear,  at  the  various  examinations  to  which  Jesus  was  sub- 
jected, and  heard  with  his  own  ears  the  judicial  process  of 
which  he  has  given  so  interesting  an  account  in  his  Gospel. 
When  the  iniquitous  sentence  was  executed,  he  was  a  spec- 
tator. He  took  his  stand  by  the  foot  of  the  cross,  where 
he  could  see  all,  and  not  only  be  seen,  but  even  be  spoken  to, 
by  his  dying  Master.  There  he  saw,  among  other  things, 
the  strange  phenomenon  of  blood  and  water  flowing  from  the 
spear-wound  in  the  Saviour's  side,  which  he  so  carefully 
records  in  his  narrative.  There  he  heard  Christ's  dying 
words,  and  among  them  those  addressed  to  Mary  of  Nazareth 
and  himself :  to  her,  "  Woman,  behold  thy  son  ; "  to  him, 
"Behold  thy  mother." 

John  was  thus  persistently  faithful  throughout.  And 
Peter,  what  of  him  .■*  Alas  !  what  need  to  tell  the  familiar 
story  of  his  deplorable  weakness  in  the  hall  or  inner  court  of 
the  high  priest's  palace  ?  how,  having  obtained  an  entrance 
through  the  street  door  by  the  intercession  of  his  brother 
disciple,  he  first  denied  to  the  portress  his  connection  with 
Jesus  ;  then  repeated  his  denial  to  other  parties,  with  the 
addition  of  a  solemn  oath  ;  then,  irritated  by  the  repetition 
of  the  charge,  and  perhaps  by  the  consciousness  of  guilt,  a 
third  time  declared,  not  with  a  solemn  oath,  but  with  the 
degrading  accompaniment  of  profane  swearing,  "  I  know  not 
the  man ; "  then,  finally,  hearing  the  cock  crow,  and  catching 


484  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Jesus'  eye,  and  remembering  the  words,  "  Before  the  cock 
crow  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice,"  went  out  to  the  street  and 
wept  bitterly ! 

What  became  of  Peter  after  this  melancholy  exhibition  we 
are  not  informed.  In  all  probability  he  retired  to  his  lodg- 
ing, humbled,  dispirited,  crushed,  there  to  remain  over- 
whelmed with  grief  and  shame,  till  he  was  roused  from 
stupor  by  the  stirring  tidings  of  the  resurrection  morn. 

This  difference  in  conduct  between  the  two  disciples  cor- 
responded to  a  difference  in  their  characters.  Each  acted 
according  to  his  nature.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  circum- 
stances were  not  the  same  for  both  parties,  being  favorable 
for  one,  unfavorable  for  the  other.  John  had  the  advantage 
of  a  friend  at  court,  being  somehow  known  to  the  high  priest. 
This  circumstance  gained  him  admission  into  the  chamber  of 
judgment,  and  gave  him  security  against  all  personal  risk. 
Peter,  on  the  other  hand,  not  only  had  no  friends  at  court, 
but  might  not  unnaturally  fear  the  presence  there  of  personal 
foes.  He  had  made  himself  obnoxious  by  his  rash  act  in  the 
garden,  and  might  be  apprehensive  of  getting  into  trouble  in 
consequence.  That  such  fears  would  not  have  been  alto- 
gether groundless,  we  learn  from  the  fact  stated  by  John, 
that  one  of  the  persons  who  charged  Peter  with  being  a  dis- 
ciple of  Jesus  was  a  kinsman  of  the  man  whose  ear  Peter 
had  cut  off,  and  that  he  brought  his  charge  against  the  dis- 
ciple in  this  form  :  "  Did  I  not  see  thee  in  the  garden  with 
Him  }''  It  is  therefore  every  way  likely  that  the  conscious- 
ness of  having  committed  an  offence  which  might  be  resented, 
made  Peter  anxious  to  escape  identification  as  one  of  Christ's 
disciples.  His  unseasonable  courage  in  the  garden  helped 
to  make  him  a  coward  in  the  palace-yard. 

Making  all  due  allowance  for  the  effect  of  circumstances, 
however,  we  think  that  the  difference  in  the  behavior  of  the 
two  disciples  was  mainly  due  to  a  difference  in  the  men  them- 
selves. Though  he  had  been  guilty  of  no  imprudence  in  the 
garden,  Peter,  we  fear,  would  have  denied  Jesus  in  the  hall ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  supposing  John  had  been  placed  in 
Peter's  position,  we  do  not  believe  that  he  would  have  com- 
mitted Peter's  sin.  Peter's  disposition  laid  him  open  to 
temptation,  while  John's,  on  the  other  hand,  was  a  protection 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  485 

against  temptation.  Peter  was  frank  and  familiar,  John  was 
dignified  and  reserved  ;  Peter's  tendency  was  to  be  on  hail- 
fellow-well-met  terms  with  everybody,  John  could  keep  his 
own  place  and  make  other  people  keep  theirs.  It  is  easy  to 
see  what  an  important  effect  this  distinction  would  have  on 
the  conduct  of  parties  placed  in  Peter's  position.  Suppose 
John  in  Peter's  place,  and  let  us  see  how  he  might  have  acted. 
Certain  persons  about  the  court,  possessing  neither  authority 
nor  influence,  interrogate  him  about  his  connection  with 
Jesus.  He  is  neither  afraid  nor  ashamed  to  acknowledge  his 
Lord,  but  nevertheless  he  turns  away  and  gives  the  inter- 
rogators no  answer.  They  have  no  right  to  question  him. 
The  spirit  which  prompts  their  questions  is  one  with  which 
he  has  no  sympathy,  and  he  feels  that  it  will  serve  no  good 
purpose  to  confess  his  discipleship  to  such  people.  There- 
fore, like  his  Master  when  confronted  with  the  false  wit- 
nesses, he  holds  his  peace,  and  withdraws  from  company 
with  which  he  has  nothing  in  common,  and  for  which  he  has 
no  respect. 

To  protect  himself  from  inconvenient  interrogation  by 
such  dignified  reserve,  is  beyond  Peter's  capacity.  He  can- 
not keep  people  who  are  not  fit  company  for  him  at  their 
distance ;  he  is  too  frank,  too  familiar,  too  sensitive  to  public 
opinion,  without  respect  to  its  quality.  If  a  servant-maid 
ask  him  a  question  about  his  relation  to  the  Prisoner  at  the 
bar,  he  cannot  brush  past  her  as  if  he  heard  her  not.  He 
must  give  her  an  answer ;  and  as  he  feels  instinctively  that 
the  animus  of  the  question  is  against  his  Master,  his  answer 
must  needs  be  a  lie.  Then,  unwarned  by  this  encounter  of 
the  danger  arising  from  too  close  contact  with  the  hangers- 
on  about  the  palace,  the  foolish  disciple  must  involve  himself 
more  inextricably  into  the  net,  by  mingling  jauntily  with  the 
servants  and  officers  gathered  around  the  fire  which  has  been 
kindled  on  the  pavement  of  the  open  court.  Of  course  he 
has  no  chance  of  escape  here  ;  he  is  like  a  poor  fly  caught  in 
a  spider's  web.  If  these  men,  with  the  insolent  tone  of  court 
menials,  charge  him  with  being  a  follower  of  the  man  whom 
their  masters  have  now  got  into  their  power,  he  can  do 
nothing  else  than  blunder  out  a  mean,  base  denial.  Poor 
Peter  is  manifestly  not  equal  to  the  situation.     It  would  have 


486  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

been  wiser  in  him  to  have  staid  at  home,  restraining  his 
curiosity  to  see  the  end.  But  he,  Hke  most  men,  was  to 
learn  wisdom  only  by  bitter  experience. 

The  contrast  we  have  drawn  between  the  characters  of  the 
two  disciples  suggests  the  thought,  What  a  different  thing 
growth  in  grace  may  be  for  different  Christians  !  Neither 
John  nor  Peter  was  mature  as  yet,  but  immaturity  showed 
itself  in  them  in  opposite  ways.  Peter's  weakness  lay  in  the 
direction  of  indiscriminate  cordiality.  His  tendency  was  to 
be  friends  with  everybody.  John,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
in  no  danger  of  being  on  familiar  terms  with  all  and  sundry. 
It  was  rather  too  easy  for  him  to  make  a  difference  between 
friends  and  foes.  He  could  take  a  side,  and  keep  it ;  he 
could  even  hate  with  fanatical  intensity,  as  well  as  love  with 
beautiful  womanly  devotion.  Witness  his  proposal  to  call 
down  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  the  Samaritan  villages  ! 
That  was  a  proposal  which  Peter  could  not  have  made ;  it 
was  not  in  his  nature  to  be  so  truculent  against  any  human 
being.  So  far,  his  good  nature  was  a  thing  to  be  commended, 
if  in  other  respects  it  laid  him  open  to  temptation.  The 
faults  of  the  two  brethren  being  so  opposite,  growth  in  grace 
would  naturally  assume  two  opposite  forms  in  their  respec- 
tive experiences.  In  Peter  it  would  take  the  form  of  con- 
centration ;  in  John,  of  expansion.  Peter  would  become  less 
charitable ;  John  would  become  more  charitable.  Peter 
would  advance  from  indiscriminate  goodwill  to  a  moral 
decidedness  which  should  distinguish  between  friends  and 
foes,  the  Church  and  the  world  ;  John's  progress,  on  the 
other  hand,  would  consist  in  ceasing  to  be  a  bigot,  and  in 
becoming  imbued  with  the  genial,  humane,  sympathetic 
spirit  of  his  Lord.  Peter,  in  his  mature  state,  would  care 
much  less  for  the  opinions  and  feelings  of  men  than  he  did 
at  the  present  time  ;  John,  again,  would  care  much  more. 

We  add  a  word  on  the  question,  Was  it  right  or  was  it 
wrong  in  these  two  disciples  to  follow  their  Lord  to  the  place 
of  judgment.-*  In  our  view  it  was  neither  right  nor  wrong 
in  itself.  It  was  right  for  one  who  was  able  to  do  it  without 
spiritual  harm  ;  wrong  for  one  who  had  reason  to  believe 
that,  by  doing  it,  he  was  exposing  himself  to  harm.  The 
latter  was  Peter's  case,  as  the  former  seems  to  have  been 


The  Sheep  Scattered.  487 

John's.  Peter  had  been  plainly  warned  of  his  weakness ; 
and,  had  he  laid  the  warning  to  heart,  he  would  have  avoided 
the  scene  of  temptation.  By  disregarding  the  warning,  he 
wilfully  rushed  into  the  tempter's  arms,  and  of  course  he 
caught  a  fall.  His  fall  reads  a  lesson  to  all  who,  without 
seeking  counsel  of  God  or  disregarding  counsel  given,  enter 
on  undertakings  beyond  their  strength. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

THE    SHEPHERD    RESTORED, 

Section  I.  —  Too  good  News  to  be  True. 

Matt,  xxviii.  17;  Mark  xvi.  11-15;  Luke  xxiv.  11,  13-22,  36-42; 
John  xx.  20,  24-29. 

The  black  day  of  the  crucifixion  is  past ;  the  succeeding 
day,  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  when  the  Weary  One  slept  in  His 
rock-hewn  tomb,  is  also  past ;  the  first  day  of  a  new  week 
and  of  a  new  era  has  dawned,  and  the  Lord  is  risen  from  the 
dead.  The  Shepherd  has  returned  to  gather  His  scattered 
sheep.  Surely  a  happy  day  for  hapless  disciples  !  What 
rapturous  joy  must  have  thrilled  their  hearts  at  the  thought 
of  a  reunion  with  their  beloved  Lord  !  with  what  ardent  hope 
must  they  have  looked  forward  to  that  resurrection  morn  ! 

So  one  might  think ;  but  the  real  state  of  the  case  was  not 
so.  Such  ardent  expectations  had  no  place  in  the  minds  of 
the  disciples.  The  actual  state  of  their  minds  at  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ  rather  resembled  that  of  the  Jewish  exiles 
in  Babylon,  when  they  heard  that  they  were  to  be  restored 
to  their  native  land.  The  first  effect  of  the  good  news  was 
that  they  were  as  men  that  dreamed.  The  news  seemed  too 
good  to  be  true.  The  captives  who  had  sat  by  the  rivers  of 
Babylon,  and  wept  when  they  remembered  Zion,  had  ceased 
to  hope  for  a  return  to  their  own  country,  and  indeed  to  be 
capable  of  hoping  for  any  thing.  "  Grief  was  calm  and  hope 
was  dead "  within  them.  Then,  when  the  exiles  had  re- 
covered from  the  stupor  of  surprise,  the  next  effect  of  the 
good  tidings  was  a  fit  of  over-joy.  They  burst  into  hysteric 
laughter  and  irrepressible  song.' 

»  Ps.  cxxxvii.  The  experience  of  the  exiles  and  of  the  apostles  recalls  the  lines  of 
the  Greek  poet  Euripides  — 

"  TToAAai   fiopifiai.  tuiv  Saifioviiav 
TToAAa  6'  aeATTTuj;  xpait'ovcri  fleoi 
488  Kai  TO.  SokyiBcvt'  oiiK  cTfAeerflTj 

ri)V  6"  aSoKYiTuv  nopov  evpe  Oeds," 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  489 

Very  similar  was  the  experience  of  the  disciples  in  connec- 
tion with  the  rising  of  Jesus  from  the  dead.  Their  grief  was 
not  indeed  calm,  but  their  hope  was  dead.  The  resurrection 
of  their  Master  was  utterly  unexpected  by  them,  and  they 
received  the  tidings  with  surprise  and  incredulity.  This 
appears  from  the  statements  of  all  the  four  evangelists. 
Matthew  states  that  on  the  occasion  of  Christ's  meeting  with 
His  followers  in  Galilee  after  He  was  risen,  some  doubted, 
while  others  worshipped.'  Mark  relates  that  when  the  dis- 
ciples heard  from  Mary  Magdalene  that  Jesus  was  alive,  and 
had  been  seen  of  her,  "they  believed  not  ;"^  and  that  when 
the  two  disciples  who  journeyed  toward  Emmaus  told  their 
brethren  of  their  meeting  with  Jesus  on  the  way,  "neither 
believed  they  them."^  He  further  relates  how,  on  a  subse- 
quent occasion,  when  Jesus  Himself  met  with  the  whole 
eleven  at  once.  He  "  upbraided  them  with  their  unbelief 
and  hardness  of  heart,  because  they  believed  not  them  which 
had  seen  Him  after  He  was  risen.""* 

In  full  accordance  with  these  statements  of  the  two  first 
evangelists  are  those  of  Luke,  whose  representation  of  the 
mental  attitude  of  the  disciples  towards  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  is  very  graphic  and  animated.  According  to  him,  the 
reports  of  the  women  seemed  to  them  "  as  idle  tales,  and 
they  believed  them  not."  5  The  two  brethren  vaguely  alluded 
to  by  Mark  as  walking  into  the  country  when  Jesus  appeared 
to  them,  are  represented  by  Luke  as  sad  in  countenance, 
though  aware  of  the  rumors  concerning  the  resurrection  ; 
yea,  as  so  depressed  in  spirits,  that  they  did  not  recognize 
Jesus  when  He  joined  their  company  and  entered  into  con- 
versation with  them.^  The  resurrection  was  not  a  fact  for 
them  :  all  they  knew  was  that  their  Master  was  dead,  and 
that  they  had  vainly  trusted  that  it  had  been  He  who  should 
have  redeemed  Israel.  The  same  evangelist  also  informs  us 
that  on  the  iirst  occasion  when  Jesus  presented  Himself  in 
the  midst  of  His  disciples,  they  did  recognize  the  resemblance 
of  the  apparition  to  their  deceased  Lord,  but  thought  it  was 
only  His  ghost,  and  accordingly  were  terrified  and  affrighted  ; 
insomuch    that,   in  order  to  charm   away  their  fear,   Jesus 

'  Matt,  xxviii.  17.  3  Mark  xvi.  13.  s  Luke  xxiv.  11. 

^  Mark  xvi.  11.  *  Mark  xvi,  14.  ^  Luke  xxiv.  16. 


490  ^^^  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

showed  them  His  hands  and  feet,  and  besought  them  to 
handle  His  body,  and  so  satisfy  themselves  that  He  was  no 
ghost,  but  a  substantial  human  being,  with  flesh  and  bones 
like  another  man.' 

Instead  of  general  statements,  John  gives  an  example  of  the 
incredulity  of  the  disciples  concerning  the  resurrection,  as 
exhibited  in  its  extreme  form  by  Thomas.  This  disciple  he 
represents  as  so  incredulous,  that  he  refused  to  believe  until 
he  should  have  put  his  finger  into  the  prints  of  the  nails,  and 
thrust  his  hand  into  the  wound  made  by  the  spear  in  the 
Saviour's  side.  That  the  other  disciples  shared  the  incredu- 
lity of  Thomas,  though  in  a  less  degree,  is  implied  in  the 
statement  made  by  John  in  a  previous  part  of  his  narrative, 
that  when  Jesus  met  His  disciples  on  the  evening  of  the  day 
on  which  He  rose,  "  He  showed  unto  them  His  hands  and 
His  side."^ 

The  women  who  had  believed  in  Christ  had  no  more  ex- 
pectation of  His  resurrection  than  the  eleven.  They  set  forth 
towards  the  sepulchre  on  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  with  the  intention  of  embalming  the  dead  body  of  Him 
whom  they  loved.  They  sought  the  living  among  the  dead. 
When  the  Magdalene,  who  was  at  the  tomb  before  the  rest, 
found  the  grave  empty,  her  idea  was  that  some  one  had 
carried  away  the  dead  body  of  her  Lord.^ 

When  the  incredulity  of  the  disciples  did  at  length  give 
place  to  faith,  they  passed,  like  the  Hebrew  exiles,  from 
extreme  depression  to  extravagant  joy.  When  the  doubt  of 
Thomas  was  removed,  he  exclaimed  in  rapture,  "  My  Lord 
and  my  God  !  " ''  Luke  relates  that  when  they  recognized 
their  risen  Lord,  the  disciples  "believed  not  for  joy,"  5  as  if 
toying  with  doubt  as  a  stimulus  to  joy.  The  two  disciples 
with  whom  Jesus  conversed  on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  said 
to  each  other  when  He  left  them,  "  Did  not  our  heart  burn 
within  us  while  He  talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  He 
opened  to  us  the  Scriptures.''  "  ^ 

In  yet  another  most  important  respect  did  the  eleven  resem- 
ble the  ancient  Hebrew  exiles  at  the  time  of  their  recall. 
While  their  faith  and  hope  were  palsied  during  the  interval 

'  Luke  xxiv.  36,  yj.  -^  John  xx.  2.  '  Luke  xxiv.  41. 

^  John  XX.  20.  *  John  xx.  28.  ^  Luke  xxiv.  32. 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  491 

between  the  death  and  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  their  love 
remained  in  unabated  vitality.  The  expatriated  Jew  did  not 
forget  Jerusalem  in  the  land  of  strangers.  Absence  only 
made  his  heart  grow  fonder.  As  he  sat  by  the  rivers  of 
Babylon,  listless,  motionless,  in  abstracted  dreamy  mood,  gaz- 
ing with  glassy  eyes  on  the  sluggish  waters,  the  big  round  tears 
stole  quietly  down  his  cheeks,  because  he  had  been  thinking 
of  Zion.  The  exile  of  poetic  soul  did  not  forget  what  was 
due  to  Jerusalem's  honor.  He  was  incapable  of  singing  the 
Lord's  songs  in  the  hearing  of  a  heathen  audience,  who  cared 
nothing  for  their  meaning,  but  only  for  the  style  of  execution. 
He  disdained  to  prostitute  his  talents  for  the  entertainment 
of  the  voluptuous  oppressors  of  Israel,  even  though  thereby 
he  might  procure  his  restoration  to  the  beloved  country  of 
his  birth,  as  the  Athenian  captives  in  Sicily  are  said  to  have 
done  by  reciting  the  strains  of  their  favorite  poet  Euripides 
in  the  hearing  of  their  Sicilian  masters.' 

The  disciples  were  not  less  true  to  the  memory  of  their 
Lord.  They  were  like  a  "widow  indeed,"  who  remains  faith- 
ful to  her  deceased  husband,  and  dotes  on  his  virtues,  though 
his  reputation  be  at  zero  in  the  general  esteem  of  the  world. 
Call  Him  a  deceiver  who  might,  they  could  not  believe  that 
Jesus  had  been  a  deceiver.  Mistaken  He  as  well  as  they 
might  have  been,  but  an  impostor — never!  Therefore, 
though  He  is  dead  and  their  hope  gone,  they  still  act  as  men 
who  cherish  the  fondest  attachment  to  their  Master  whom 
they  have  lost.  They  keep  together  like  a  bereaved  family, 
with  blinds  down,  so  to  speak,  shutting  and  barring  their 
doors  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  identifying  themselves  with 
the  Crucified,  and  as  His  friends  dreading  the  ill-will  of  the 
unbelieving  world.  Admirable  example  to  all  Christians  how 
to  behave  themselves  in  a  day  of  trouble,  rebuke,  and  blas- 
phemy, when  the  cause  of  Christ  seems  lost,  and  the  powers 
of  darkness  for  the  moment  have  all  things  their  own  way. 
Though  faith  be  eclipsed  and  hope  extinguished,  let  the 
heart  ever  be  loyal  to  its  true  Lord  ! 

The  state  of  mind  in  which  the  disciples  were  at  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  is  of  great  moment  in 

'  The  story  is  told  by  Plutarch  in  his  iTapoAAijAa  (Nikias),  and  quoted  and  com- 
mented on  by  Gillies,  History  of  Greece,  cap.  xx. 


492  The  Ti'aining  of  the  Twelve. 

an  apologetic  point  of  view.  Their  despair  after  their  Lord's 
crucifixion  gives  great  weight  to  the  testimony  borne  by 
them  to  the  fact  of  His  resurrection.  Men  in  such  a  mood 
were  not  likely  to  believe  in  the  latter  event  except  because 
it  could  not  reasonably  be  disbelieved.  They  would  not  be 
lightly  satisfied  of  its  truth,  as  men  are  apt  to  be  in  the  case 
of  events  both  desired  and  expected :  they  would  sceptically 
exact  superabundant  evidence,  as  men  do  in  the  case  of 
events  desirable  but  not  expected.  They  would  be  slow  to 
believe  on  the  testimony  of  others,  and  might  even  hesitate 
to  believe  their  own  eyes.  They  would  not  be  able,  as  M. 
Renan  supposes,  to  get  up  a  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus, 
from  the  simple  fact  that  His  grave  was  found  empty  on  the 
third  day  after  His  death,  by  the  women  who  went  to  embalm 
His  body.  That  circumstance,  on  being  reported,  might 
make  a  Peter  and  a  John  run  to  the  sepulchre  to  see  how 
matters  stood  ;  but,  after  they  had  found  the  report  of  the 
women  confirmed,  it  would  still  remain  a  question  how 
the  fact  was  to  be  explained ;  and  Mary  Magdalene's  theory, 
that  some  one  had  carried  off  the  corpse,  would  not  appear 
at  all  improbable. 

These  inferences  of  ours,  from  what  we  know  concerning 
the  mental  condition  of  the  disciples,  are  fully  borne  out 
by  the  Gospel  accounts  of  the  reception  they  gave  to  the 
risen  Jesus  at  His  first  appearances  to  them.  One  and  all 
of  them  regarded  these  appearances  sceptically,  and  took 
pains  to  satisfy  themselves,  or  made  it  necessary  that  Jesus 
should  take  pains  to  satisfy  them,  that  the  visible  object  was 
no  ghostly  apparition,  but  a  living  man,  and  that  man  none 
other  than  He  who  had  died  on  the  cross.  The  disciples 
doubted  now  the  substantiality,  now  the  identity,  of  the  per- 
son who  appeared  to  them.  They  were  therefore  not  content 
with  seeing  Jesus,  but  at  His  own  request  handled  Him. 
One  of  their  number  not  only  handled  the  body  to  ascertain 
that  it  possessed  the  incompressibility  of  matter,  but  insisted 
on  examining  with  sceptical  curiosity  those  parts  which  had 
been  injured  by  the  nails  and  the  spear.  All  perceived  the 
resemblance  between  the  object  in  view  and  Jesus,  but  they 
could  not  be  persuaded  of  the  identity,  so  utterly  unprepared 
were  they  for  seeing  the  Dead  One  alive  again ;  and  their 


The  Shephei^d  Restored.  493 

theory  at  first  was  just  that  of  Strauss,  that  what  they  saw 
was  a  ghost  or  spectre.  And  the  very  fact  that  they  enter- 
tained that  theory  makes  it  impossible  for  us  to  entertain  it. 
We  cannot,  in  the  face  of  that  fact,  accept  the  Straussian 
dogma,  that  "the  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  which  by 
His  violent  death  had  received  an  apparently  fatal  shock, 
was  subjectively  restored  by  the  instrumentality  of  the  mind, 
the  power  of  imagination  and  nervous  excitement."  The 
power  of  imagination  and  nervous  excitement  we  know  can 
do  much.  It  has  often  happened  to  men  in  an  abnormal, 
excited  state  to  see  projected  into  outward  space  the  crea- 
tions of  a  heated  brain.  But  persons  in  a  crazy  state  like 
that  —  subject  to  hallucination  —  are  not  usually  cool  and 
rational  enough  to  doubt  the  reality  of  what  they  see ;  nor  is 
it  necessary  in  their  case  to  take  pains  to  overcome  such 
doubts.  What  they  need  rather,  is  to  be  made  aware  that 
what  they  think  they  see  is  not  a  reality :  the  very  reverse 
of  what  Christ  had  to  do  for  the  disciples,  and  did,  by  solemn 
assertion  that  He  was  no  spirit,  by  inviting  them  to  handle 
Him,  and  so  satisfy  themselves  of  His  material  substanti- 
ality, and  by  partaking  of  food  in  their  presence. 

When  we  keep  steadily  before  our  eyes  the  mental  condi- 
tion of  the  eleven  at  the  time  of  Christ's  resurrection,  we  see 
the  transparent  falsehood  and  absurdity  of  the  theft  theory 
invented  by  the  Jewish  priests.  The  disciples,  according 
to  this  theory,  came  by  night,  while  the  guards  were  asleep, 
and  stole  the  dead  body  of  Jesus,  that  they  might  be  able  to 
circulate  the  belief  that  He  was  risen  again,  Matthew  tells 
that  even  before  the  resurrection  the  murderers  of  our  Lord 
were  afraid  this  might  be  done  ;  and  then,  to  prevent  any 
fraud  of  this  kind,  they  applied  to  Pilate  to  have  a  guard  put 
upon  the  grave,  who  accordingly  contemptuously  granted 
them  permission  to  take  what  steps  they  pleased  to  prevent 
all  resurrectionary  proceedings  on  the  part  either  of  the 
dead  or  of  the  living,  scornfully  replying,  "  Ye  have  a  watch  : 
go  your  way,  make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can."  This  accordingly 
they  did,  sealing  the  stone  and  setting  a  watch.  Alas  !  their 
precautions  prevented  neither  the  resurrection  nor  belief  in 
it,  but  only  supplied  an  illustration  of  the  folly  of  those  who 
attempt  to  manage  providence,  and  to  control  the  course  of 


494  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  world's  history.  They  gave  themselves  much  to  do,  and 
it  all  came  to  nothing.  Not  that  we  are  disposed  to  deny 
the  astuteness  of  these  ecclesiastical  politicians.  Their 
scheme  for  preventing  the  resurrection  was  very  prudent, 
and  their  mode  of  explaining  it  away  afterhand  very  plausible. 
The  story  they  invented  was  really  a  very  respectable  fabri- 
cation, and  was  certain  to  satisfy  all  who  wanted  a  decent 
theory  to  justify  a  foregone  conclusion,  as  in  fact  it  seems 
to  have  done  ;  for,  according  to  Matthew,  it  was  commonly 
reported  in  after  years.'  It  was  not  improbable  that  soldiers 
should  fall  asleep  by  night  on  the  watch,  especially  when 
guarding  a  dead  body,  which  was  not  likely  to  give  them 
any  trouble  ;  and  in  the  eyes  of  the  unbelieving  world,  the 
followers  of  the  Nazarene  were  capable  of  using  any  means 
for  promoting  their  ends. 

But  granting  all  this,  and  even  granting  that  the  Sanhe- 
drists  had  been  right  in  their  opinion  of  the  character  of  the 
disciples,  their  theft  theory  is  ridiculous.  The  disciples,  even 
if  capable  of  such  a  theft,  so  far  as  scruples  of  conscience 
were  concerned,  were  not  in  a  state  of  mind  to  think  of  it, 
or  to  attempt  it.  They  had  not  spirit  left  for  such  a  daring 
action.  Sorrow  lay  like  a  weight  of  lead  on  their  hearts, 
and  made  them  almost  as  inanimate  as  the  corpse  they  are 
supposed  to  have  stolen.  Then  the  motive  for  the  theft  is 
one  which  could  not  have  influenced  them  then.  Steal  the 
body  to  propagate  a  belief  in  the  resurrection  !  What  inter- 
est had  they  in  propagating  a  belief  which  they  did  not  enter- 
tain themselves }  "  As  yet  they  knew  not  the  Scriptures, 
that  He  must  rise  again  from  the  dead ; "  ^  nor  did  they 
remember  aught  that  their  Master  had  said  on  this  subject 
before  His  decease.  To  some  this  latter  statement  has  ap- 
peared hard  to  believe ;  and  to  get  over  the  difficulty,  it  has 
been  suggested  that  the  predictions  of  our  Lord  respecting 
His  resurrection  may  not  have  been  so  definite  as  they  appear 
in  the  Gospels,  but  may  have  assumed  this  definite  form  after 
the  event,  when  their  meaning  was  clearly  understood. ^  We 
see  no  occasion  for  such  a  supposition.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  Jesus  spoke  plainly  enough  about  His  death  at  least ; 
and  yet  His  death,  when  it  happened,  took  the  disciples  as 

*  Matt  xxviii.  15.  *  John  xx.  9.  ^  gee  Neander,  Life  of  Jesus. 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  495 

much  by  surprise  as  did  the  resurrection.'  One  explanation 
suffices  in  both  cases.  The  disciples  were  not  clever,  quick- 
witted, sentimental  men  such  as  Renan  makes  them.  They 
were  stupid,  slow-minded  persons  ;  very  honest,  but  very  un- 
apt to  take  in  new  ideas.  They  were  like  horses  with  blind- 
ers on,  and  could  see  only  in  one  direction, — that,  namely, 
of  their  prejudices.  It  required  the  surgery  of  events  to 
insert  a  new  truth  into  their  minds.  Nothing  would  change 
the  current  of  their  thoughts  but  a  damwork  of  undeniable 
fact.  They  could  be  convinced  that  Christ  must  die  only  by 
His  dying,  that  He  would  rise  only  by  His  rising,  that  His 
kingdom  was  not  to  be  of  this  world,  only  by  the  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit  at  Pentecost  and  the  vocation  of  the  Gentiles. 
Let  us  be  thankful  for  the  honest  stupidity  of  these  men. 
It  gives  great  value  to  their  testimony.  We  know  that 
nothing  but  facts  could  make  such  men  believe  that  which 
nowadays  they  get  credit  for  inventing. 

The  apologetic  use  which  we  have  made  of  the  doubts  of 
the  disciples  concerning  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  not 
only  legitimate,  but  manifestly  that  which  was  intended  by 
their  being  recorded.  The  evangelists  have  carefully  chroni- 
cled these  doubts  that  we  might  have  no  doubt.  These 
things  were  written  that  we  might  believe  that  Jesus  really 
did  rise  from  the  dead  ;  for  the  apostles  attached  supreme 
importance  to  that  fact,  which  they  had  doubted  in  the  days 
of  their  disciplehood.  It  was  the  foundation  of  their  doc- 
trinal edifice,  an  essential  part  of  their  gospel.  The  Apostle 
Paul  correctly  summed  up  the  gospel  preached  by  the  men 
who  had  been  with  Jesus,  as  well  as  by  himself,  in  these 
three  items  :  "that  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the 
Scriptures  ;  and  that  He  was  buried  ;  and  that  He  rose  again 
the  third  day,  according  to  the  Scriptures."  All  the  eleven 
thoroughly  agreed  with  Paul's  sentiment,  that  if  Christ  were 

'  Colani  {jfesiis  Christ  et  les  Croyances  messianiques  de  son  Tetnps,  2ieme  ed. 
p.  164)  endeavors  to  weaken  the  force  of  this  argument  by  the  remark  that  the  death  of 
Jesus,  being  an  unwelcome  event,  was  a  thing  the  disciples  did  not  wish  to  remember  or 
believe  in,  as  involving  the  ruin  of  their  Messianic  hopes  ;  whereas,  the  resurrection 
being  a  joyful  event,  would  most  gladly  have  been  believed  in  had  it  really  been  prean- 
nounced.  The  author  forgets  that  the  resurrection  implied  death  as  its  antecedent,  and 
that  if  believed  in,  it  would  have  made  death  appear  in  an  altogether  different  light, 
and  that  if  it  failed  to  do  that,  it  would  beforehand  share  the  same  fate  as  the  death,  that, 
viz.,  of  being  disregarded;  and  afterhand  would  seem  "too  good  news  to  be  true." 


49^  The  Training  of  the   Tivelve. 

not  risen,  their  preaching  was  vain,  and  the  faith  of  Chris' 
tians  was  also  vain.  There  was  no  gospel  at  all,  unless  He 
who  died  for  men's  sins  rose  again  for  their  justification. 
With  this  conviction  in  their  minds,  they  constantly  bore 
witness  to  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  wherever  they  went. 
So  important  a  part  of  their  work  did  this  witness-bearing 
seem  to  them,  that  when  Peter  proposed  the  election  of  one 
to  fill  the  place  of  Judas  he  singled  it  out  as  the  character- 
istic function  of  the  apostolic  office.  "  Of  these  men,"  he 
said,  "  which  have  companied  with  us  all  the  time  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  went  in  and  out  among  us,  .  .  .  must  one  become 
a  witness  with  us  of  His  resurrection." 

With  this  supreme  value  attached  to  the  fact  of  Christ's 
rising  again  in  apostolic  preaching,  it  is  our  duty  most  heartily 
to  sympathize.  Modern  unbelievers,  like  some  in  the  Corin- 
thian church,  would  persuade  us  that  it  does  not  matter 
whether  Jesus  rose  or  not,  all  that  is  valuable  in  Christianity 
being  quite  independent  of  mere  historical  truth.  With  these 
practically  agree  many  believers  addicted  to  an  airy  spirit- 
ualism, who  treat  mere  supernatural  facts  with  contemptuous 
neglect,  deeming  the  high  doctrines  of  the  faith  as  alone 
worthy  of  their  regard.  To  persons  of  this  temper  such 
studies  as  those  which  have  occupied  us  in  this  chapter  seem 
a  mere  waste  of  time ;  and  if  they  spoke  as  they  feel,  they 
would  say,  "  Let  these  trifles  alone,  and  give  us  the  pure  and 
simple  gospel."  Intelligent,  sober,  and  earnest  Christians 
differ  toto  ccelo  from  both  these  classes  of  people.  In  their 
view  Christianity  is  in  the  first  place  a  religion  of  super- 
natural facts.  These  facts  occupy  the  principal  place  in 
their  creed.  They  know  that  if  these  facts  are  honestly  be- 
lieved, all  the  great  doctrines  of  the  faith  must  sooner  or 
later  be  accepted ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  they  clearly 
understand  that  a  religion  which  despises,  not  to  say  dis- 
believes, these  facts,  is  but  a  cloudland  which  must  soon 
be  dissipated,  or  a  house  built  on  sand  which  the  storm 
will  sweep  away.  Therefore,  while  acknowledging  the 
importance  of  all  revealed  truth,  they  lay  very  special 
stress  on  revealed  facts.  Believing  with  the  heart  the  pre- 
cious truth  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  they  are  care- 
ful with  the  apostles  to  include  in  their  gospel  these  items 


The  Shepherd  Restoi'ed.  497 

of  fact,  that  He  was  buried,  and  that   He  rose  again  the 
third  day.' 

Sectign  II.  —  The  Eyes  of  the  Disciples  opened. 

Mark  xvi.  14;  Luke  xxiv.  25-32,  44-46;  John  xx.  20-23. 

Jesus  showed  Himself  alive  after  His  passion  to  His  dis- 
ciples  in  a  body,  for  the  first  time,  on  the  evening  of  His 
resurrection  day.  It  was  the  fourth  time  He  had  made  Him- 
self visible  since  He  rose  from  the  dead.  He  had  appeared 
in  the  morning  first  of  all  to  Mary  of  Magdala.  She  had 
earned  the  honor  thus  conferred  on  her  by  her  pre-eminent 
devotion.  Of  kindred  spirit  with  Mary  of  Bethany,  she  had 
been  foremost  among  the  women  who  came  to  Joseph's  tomb 
to  embalm  the  dead  body  of  the  Saviour.  Finding  the  grave 
empty,  she  wept  bitter  tears,  because  they  had  taken  away 
her  Lord,  and  she  knew  not  where  they  had  laid  Him. 
Those  tears,  sure  sign  of  deep  true  love,  had  not  been  unob- 
served of  the  Risen  One.  The  sorrows  of  this  faithful  soul 
touched  His  tender  heart,  and  brought  Him  to  her  side  to 
comfort  her.  Turning  round  in  distress  from  the  sepulchre, 
she  saw  Him  standing  by,  but  knew  Him  not.  "Jesus  saith 
to  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou }  whom  seekest  thou  ? 
She,  supposing  Him  to  be  the  gardener,  replies.  Sir,  if  thou 
hast  borne  Him  hence,  tell  me  where  thou  hast  laid  Him, 

'  Baur,  denying,  or  tacitly  ignoring  the/«rf  of  the  resurrection,  admits  that  the  belief 
in  it  by  the  apostles  was  the  necessary  presupposition  of  the  whole  historical  develop- 
ment of  Christianity.  How  that  belief  arose  in  their  minds  he  does  not  attempt  to 
explain,  but  rather  declares  to  be  inexplicable  by  psychological  analysis  {vide  Ki7-chett- 
gcschichte  der  Drei  Erste7t  Jahrlnniderte,  3te  Ausg.,  p.  40).  Keim's  view  is  peculiar. 
Holding  with  Baur  and  Strauss  the  impossibility  of  a  resurrection  in  the  ordinary  sense, 
he  yet  differs  from  Strauss  in  regarding  the  appearances  of  Jesus  after  His  death  as 
something  more  than  hallucinations,  as  objective  occurrences,  "  telegraphic  "  communica- 
tions from  the  spirit-world  to  let  the  dispirited  disciples  know  that  all  was  well  (Jesii  von 
Nazara,  Band  iii.  p  605).  This  hypothesis,  which  seems  to  have  been  suggested  by  the 
phenomena  of  modern  spiritualism,  adds  a  fourth  to  the  list  of  the  naturalistic  attempts 
to  dispose  of  the  great  cardinal  fact  considered  in  this  chapter.  For  the  reader's  benefit 
we  may  here  give  the  list :  — 

1.  Jesus  never  was  dead  :  resurrection  was  merely  reanimation  after  a  swoon. 

2.  The  dead  body  was  stolen,  ard  the  lie  circulated  that  Jesus  had  risen. 

3.  The  disciples  honestly  believed  that  Jesus  was  risen,  but  their  belief  was  a  pure 
hallucination  bred  by  a  heated  brain. 

4.  Jesus  after  death  made  spiritualistic  communications  to  His  disciples,  which 
naturally  led  to  the  belief  that  He  was  risen. 


498  The   Training  of  the   Twelve. 

and  I  will  take  Him  away,  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary."* 
Startled  with  the  familiar  voice,  she  looks  more  attentively, 
and  forthwith  returns  the  benignant  salutation  with  an  ex- 
pressive word  of  recognition,  "  Rabboni."  Thus  "to  holy 
tears,  in  lonely  hours,  Christ  risen  appears." 

The  second  appearance  was  vouchsafed  to  Peter.  Con- 
cerning this  private  meeting  between  Jesus  and  His  erring 
disciple  we  have  no  details  :  it  is  simply  mentioned  by  Paul 
in  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  and  by  Luke  in  his 
Gospel ;  but  we  can  have  no  doubt  at  all  as  to  its  object. 
The  Risen  Master  remembered  Peter's  sin  ;  He  knew  how 
troubled  he  was  in  mind  on  account  of  it ;  He  desired  with- 
out delay  to  let  him  know  he  was  forgiven  ;  and  out  of  deli- 
cate consideration  for  the  offender's  feelings  He  contrived 
to  meet  him  for  the  first  time  after  his  fall,  alone. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  Jesus  appeared,  for  the  third 
time,  to  the  two  brethren  who  journeyed  to  Emmaus.  Luke 
has  given  greater  prominence  to  this  third  appearance  than 
to  any  other  in  his  narrative,  probably  because  it  was  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  the  anecdotes  concerning  the  resur- 
rection which  he  found  in  the  collections  out  of  which  he 
compiled  his  Gospel.  And,  in  truth,  any  thing  more  inter- 
esting than  this  beautiful  story  cannot  well  be  imagined. 
How  vividly  is  the  whole  situation  of  the  disciples  brought 
before  us  by  the  picture  of  the  two  friends  walking  along 
the  way,  and  talking  together  of  the  things  which  had  hap- 
pened, the  sufferings  of  Jesus  three  days  ago,  and  the 
rumors  just  come  to  their  ears  concerning  His  resurrection; 
and  as  they  talked,  vibrating  between  despair  and  hope,  now 
brooding  disconsolately  on  the  crucifixion  of  Him  whom  till 
then  they  had  regarded  as  the  Redeemer  of  Israel,  anon 
wondering  if  it  were  possible  that  He  could  have  risen 
again  !  Then  how  unspeakably  pathetic  the  behavior  of 
Jesus  throughout  this  scene !  By  an  artifice  of  love  He 
assumes  the  incognito,  and,  joining  the  company  of  the  two 
sorrowful  men,  asks  them  in  a  careless  way  what  is  the  sub- 
ject about  which  they  are  talking  so  sadly  and  seriously; 
and  on  receiving  for  reply  a  question  expressive  of  surprise 
that   even  a  stranger   in   Jerusalem    should    not    know  the 

'  John  XX.  15,  16. 


The  Shephei'd  Restoj'ed.  499 

things  which  have  come  to  pass,  again  asks  dryly  and  indif- 
ferently, "  What  things  ?  "  Having  thereby  drawn  out  of 
them  their  story,  He  proceeds  in  turn  to  show  them  that  an 
intelligent  reader  of  the  Old  Testament  ought  not  to  be  sur- 
prised at  such  things  happening  to  one  whom  they  believed 
to  be  Christ,  taking  occasion  to  expound  unto  them  "in 
all  the  Scriptures  the  things  concerning  Himself,"  without 
saying  that  it  is  of  Himself  He  speaks.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  travellers  at  the  village  whither  the  two  brethren  were 
bound,  the  unknown  One  assumes  the  air  of  a  man  who  is 
going  farther  on,  as  it  would  not  become  a  stranger  to 
thrust  himself  into  company  uninvited  ;  but  receiving  a  press- 
ing invitation,  He  accepts  it,  and  at  last  the  two  brethren 
discover  to  their  joy  whom  they  have  been  entertaining 
unawares. 

This  appearing  of  Jesus  to  the  two  brethren  by  the  way 
was  a  sort  of  prelude  to  that  which  He  made  on  the  evening 
of  the  same  day  in  Jerusalem  to  the  eleven,  or  rather  the 
ten.  As  soon  as  they  had  discovered  whom  they  had  had 
for  a  guest,  Cleopas  and  his  companion  set  out  from  Emmaus 
to  the  Holy  City,  eager  to  tell  the  friends  there  the  stirring 
news.  And,  behold,  while  they  are  in  the  very  act  of  telling 
what  things  were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  Jesus  became 
known  to  them  in  the  breaking  of  bread,  Jesus  Himself 
appeared  in  the  midst  of  them,  uttering  the  kindly  saluta- 
tion, "  Peace  be  unto  you  !  "  He  is  come  to  do  for  the  future 
apostles  what  He  has  already  done  for  the  two  friends  :  to 
show  Himself  alive  to  them  after  His  passion,  and  to  open 
their  understandings  that  they  might  understand  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  see  that,  according  to  what  had  been  written 
before  of  the  Christ,  it  behooved  Him  to  suffer,  and  to  rise 
from  the  dead  the  third  day. 

While  the  general  design  of  the  two  appearances  is  the 
same,  we  observe  a  difference  in  the  order  of  procedure  fol- 
lowed by  Jesus.  In  the  one  case  He  opened  the  eyes  of  the 
understanding  first,  and  the  eyes  of  the  body  second  ;  in 
the  other.  He  reversed  this  order.  In  His  colloquy  with  the 
two  brethren  He  first  showed  them  that  the  crucifixion  and 
the  rumored  resurrection  were  in  perfect  accordance  with 
Old    Testament    Scriptures,    and  then  at  the   close    made 


500  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Himself  visible  to  their  bodily  eyes  as  Jesus  risen.  In  othef 
words,  He  first  taught  them  the  true  scriptural  theory  of 
Messiah's  earthly  experience,  and  then  He  satisfied  them 
as  to  the  matter  of  fact.  In  the  meeting  at  night  with  the 
ten,  on  the  other  hand,  he  disposed  of  the  matter  of  fact 
first,  and  then  took  up  the  theory  afterwards.  He  convinced 
His  disciples,  by  showing  them  His  hands  and  His  feet,  and 
by  eating  food,  that  He  really  was  risen  ;  and  then  He  pro- 
ceeded to  show  that  the  fact  was  only  what  they  ought  to 
have  expected  as  the  fulfilment  of  Old  Testament  prophecy. 
In  thus  varying  the  order  of  revelation,  Jesus  was  but 
adapting  His  procedure  to  the  different  circumstances  of  the 
persons  with  whom  He  had  to  deal.  The  two  friends  who 
journeyed  to  Emmaus  did  not  notice  any  resemblance  be- 
tween the  stranger  who  joined  their  company  and  their 
beloved  Lord,  of  whom  they  had  been  thinking  and  speak- 
ing. "Their  eyes  were  holden,  that  they  should  not  know 
Him." '  The  main  cause  of  this,  we  believe,  was  sheer 
heaviness  of  heart.  Sorrow  made  them  unobserving.  They 
were  so  engrossed  with  their  own  sad  thoughts  that  they  had 
no  eyes  for  outward  things.  They  did  not  take  the  trouble 
to  look  who  it  was  that  had  come  up  with  them  ;  it  would 
have  made  no  difference  though  the  stranger  had  been  their 
own  father.  It  is  obvious  how  men  in  such  a  mood  must  be 
dealt  with.  They  can  get  outward  vision  only  by  getting  the 
inward  eye  first  opened.  The  diseased  mind  must  be  healed, 
that  they  may  be  able  to  look  at  what  is  before  them,  and  see 
it  as  it  is.  On  this  principle  Jesus  proceeded  with  the  two 
brethren.  He  accommodated  Himself  to  their  humor,  and 
led  them  on  from  despair  to  hope,  and  then  the  outward 
senses  recovered  their  perceptive  power,  and  told  who  the 
stranger  was.  "You  have  heard,"  He  said  in  effect,  "a 
rumor  that  He  who  was  crucified  three  days  ago  is  risen. 
You  regarded  this  rumor  as  an  incredible  story.  But  why 
should  you  }  You  believe  Jesus  to  be  the  Christ.  If  He 
was  the  Christ,  His  rising  again  was  to  be  expected  as  much 
as  the  passion,  for  both  alike  are  foretold  in  the  Scriptures 
which  ye  believe  to  be  the  Word  of  God."  These  thoughts 
having  taken  hold  of   their  minds,  the   hearts  of  the   two 

'  Luke  xxiv.  i6. 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  501 

brethren  begin  to  burn  with  the  kindling  power  of  a  new 
truth ;  the  day-dawn  of  hope  breaks  on  their  spirit ;  they 
waken  up  as  from  an  oppressive  dream ;  they  look  outward, 
and,  lo,  the  man  who  has  been  discoursing  to  them  is  Jesus 
Himself ! 

With  the  ten  the  case  was  different.  When  Jesus  appeared 
in  the  midst  of  them,  they  were  struck  at  once  with  the  re- 
semblance to  their  deceased  Master.  They  had  been  listen- 
ing to  the  story  of  Cleopas  and  his  companion,  and  were  in 
a  more  observing  mood.  But  they  could  not  believe  that  what 
they  saw  really  was  Jesus.  They  were  terrified  and  affrighted, 
and  supposed  that  they  had  seen  a  spirit  —  the  ghost  or 
spectre  of  the  Crucified.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  in  this 
case,  therefore,  manifestly  was  to  allay  the  fear  awakened, 
and  to  convince  the  terrified  disciples  that  the  being  who  had 
suddenly  appeared  was  no  ghost,  but  a  man  :  the  very  man 
He  seemed  to  be,  even  Jesus  Himself.  Not  till  that  has 
been  done  can  any  discourse  be  profitably  held  concerning 
the  teaching  of  the  Old  Testament  on  the  subject  of  Mes- 
siah's earthly  history.  To  that  task  accordingly  Jesus  forth- 
with addressed  Himself,  and  only  when  it  was  successfully 
accomplished  did  He  proceed  to  expound  the  true  Messianic 
theory. 

Something  analogous  to  the  difference  we  have  pointed  out 
in  the  experience  of  the  two  and  the  ten  disciples  in  connec- 
tion with  belief  in  the  resurrection  may  be  found  in  the  ways 
by  which  different  Christians  now  are  brought  to  faith.  The 
evidences  of  Christianity  are  commonly  divided  into  two 
great  categories  —  the  external  and  the  internal;  the  one 
drawn  from  outward  historical  facts,  the  other  from  the 
adaptation  of  the  gospel  to  man's  nature  and  needs.  Both 
sorts  of  evidence  are  necessary  to  a  perfect  faith,  just  as 
both  sorts  of  vision,  the  outward  and  the  inward,  were  neces- 
sary to  make  the  disciples  thorough  believers  in  the  fact  of 
the  resurrection.  But  some  begin  with  the  one,  some  with 
the  other.  Some  are  convinced  first  that  the  gospel  story  is 
true,  and  then  perhaps  long  after  waken  up  to  a  sense  of  the 
importance  and  preciousness  of  the  things  which  it  relates. 
Others,  again,  are  like  Cleopas  and  his  companion ;  so 
engrossed  with  their  own  thoughts  as  to  be  incapable  of 


502  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

appreciating  or  seeing  facts,  requiring  first  to  liave  the  eyes 
of  their  understanding  enlightened  to  see  the  beauty  and  the 
worthiness  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  They  may  at  one 
time  have  had  a  kind  of  traditional  faith  in  the  facts  as  suf- 
ficiently well  attested.  But  they  have  lost  that  faith,  it  may 
be  not  without  regret.  They  are  sceptics,  and  yet  they  are 
sad  because  they  are  so,  and  feel  that  it  was  better  with  them 
when,  like  others,  they  believed.  Yet,  though  they  attempt 
it,  they  cannot  restore  their  faith  by  a  study  of  mere  external 
evidences.  They  read  books  dealing  in  such  evidences,  but 
they  are  not  much  impressed  by  them.  Their  eyes  are 
holden,  and  they  know  not  Christ  coming  to  them  in  that 
outward  way.  But  He  reveals  Himself  to  them  in  another 
manner.  By  hidden  discourse  with  their  spirits  He  conveys 
into  their  minds  a  powerful  sense  of  the  moral  grandeur  of 
the  Christian  faith,  making  them  feel  that,  true  or  not,  it  is 
at  least  zvortliy  to  be  true.  Then  their  hearts  begin  to  burn : 
they  hope  that  what  is  so  beautiful  may  turn  out  to  be  objec- 
tively true ;  the  question  of  the  external  evidences  assumes 
a  new  interest  to  their  minds  ;  they  inquire,  they  read,  they 
look ;  and,  lo,  they  see  Jesus  revived,  a  true  historical  person 
for  them  :  risen  out  of  the  grave  of  doubt  to  live  for  ever- 
more the  sun  of  their  souls,  more  precious  for  the  temporary 
loss  ;  coming 

"Apparelled  in  more  precious  habit, 
More  moving,  delicate,  and  full  of  life, 
Into  the  eye  and  prospect  of  their  soul," 

than  ever  He  did  before  they  doubted. 

From  these  remarks  on  the  order  of  the  two  revelations 
made  by  Jesus  to  His  disciples, — of  Himself  to  the  eye  of 
their  body,  and  of  the  scriptural  doctrine  of  the  Messiah 
to  the  eye  of  their  mind,  — we  pass  to  consider  the  question. 
What  did  the  latter  revelation  amount  to }  What  was  the 
precise  effect  of  those  expositions  of  Scripture  with  which 
the  risen  Christ  favored  His  hearers }  Did  the  disciples 
derive  therefrom  such  an  amount  of  light  as  to  supersede 
the  necessity  of  any  further  illumination.?  Had  Jesus  Him- 
self done  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  whose  advent  He 
had  promised    before    He    suffered,  and  led  them    into   all 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  503 

truth  ?  Certainly  not.  The  opening  of  the  understanding 
which  took  place  at  this  time  did  not  by  any  means  amount 
to  a  full  spiritual  enlightenment  in  Christian  doctrine.  The 
disciples  did  not  yet  comprehend  the  moral  grounds  of 
Christ's  sufferings  and  resurrection.  Why  He  underwent 
these  experiences  they  knew  not;  the  words  "ought"  and 
"  behooved  "  meant  for  them  as  yet  nothing  more  than  that, 
according  to  Old  Testament  prophecies  rightly  understood, 
the  things  which  had  happened  might  and  should  have  been 
anticipated.  They  were  in  the  same  state  of  mind  as  that 
in  which  we  can  conceive  the  Jewish  Christians  to  whom  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  was  addressed  to  have  been  after 
perusing  the  contents  of  that  profound  writing.  These 
Christians  were  ill  grounded  in  gospel  truth  :  they  saw  not 
the  glory  of  the  gospel  dispensation,  nor  its  harmony  with 
that  which  went  before,  and  under  which  they  had  been 
themselves  educated.  In  particular,  the  divine  dignity  of 
the  Author  of  the  Christian  faith  seemed  to  them  incompati- 
ble with  His  earthly  humiliation.  Accordingly,  the  writer 
of  the  epistle  set  himself  to  prove  that  the  divinity,  the  tem- 
porary humiliation,  and  the  subsequent  glorification  of  the 
Christ  were  all  taught  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 
quoting  these  liberally  for  that  purpose  in  the  early  chapters 
of  his  epistle.  He  did,  in  fact,  by  his  written  expositions  for 
his  readers,  what  Jesus  did  by  His  oral  expositions  for  His 
hearers.  And  what  shall  we  say  was  the  immediate  effect 
of  the  writer's  argument  on  the  minds  of  those  who  atten- 
tively perused  it }  This,  we  imagine,  that  the  crude  believer 
on  laying  down  the  book  would  be  constrained  to  admit : 
"Well,  he  is  right:  these  things  are  all  written  in  the  Scrip- 
tures of  the  Messiah  ;  and  therefore  no  one  of  them,  not 
even  the  humiliation  and  suffering  at  which  I  stumble,  can 
be  a  reason  for  rejecting  Jesus  as  the  Christ."  A  very  im- 
portant result,  yet  a  very  elementary  one.  From  the  bare 
concession  that  the  real  life  of  Jesus  corresponded  to  the 
ideal  life  of  the  Messiah  as  portrayed  in  the  Old  Testament, 
to  the  admiring,  enthusiastic,  and  thoroughly  intelligent 
appreciation  of  gospel  truth  exhibited  by  the  writer  himself 
in  every  page  of  his  epistle,  what  a  vast  distance ! 

Not  less  was  the  distance  between  the  state  of  mind  of  the 


504  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

disciples  after  Jesus  had  expounded  to  them  the  things  in 
the  law,  and  the  prophets,  and  the  psalms  concerning  Him- 
self, and  the  state  of  enlightenment  to  which  they  attained 
as  apostles  after  the  advent  of  the  Comforter.  Now  they 
knew  the  alphabet  merely  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ ;  then 
they  had  arrived  at  perfection,  and  were  thoroughly  initiated 
into  the  mystery  of  the  gospel.  Now  a  single  ray  of  light 
was  let  into  their  dark  minds  ;  then  the  daylight  of  truth 
poured  its  full  flood  into  their  souls.  Or  we  may  express 
the  difference  in  terms  suggested  by  the  narrative  given  by 
John  of  the  events  connected  with  this  first  appearance  of 
the  risen  Jesus  to  His  disciples.  John  relates,  that,  at  a 
certain  stage  in  the  proceedings,  Jesus  breathed  on  the  dis- 
ciples, and  said  unto  them,  "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost." 
We  are  not  to  understand  that  they  then  and  there  received 
the  Spirit  in  the  promised  fulness.  The  breath  was  rather 
but  a  sign  and  earnest  of  what  was  to  come.  It  was  but  an 
emblematic  renewal  of  the  promise,  and  a  first  instalment 
of  its  fulfilment.  It  was  but  the  little  cloud  like  a  man's 
hand  that  portended  a  plenteous  rain,  or  the  first  gentle 
puff  of  wind  which  precedes  the  mighty  gale.  Now  they 
have  the  little  breath  of  the  Spirit's  influence,  but  not  till 
Pentecost  shall  they  feel  the  rushing  wind.  So  great  is  the 
difference  between  now  and  then :  between  the  spiritual 
enlightenment  of  the  disciples  on  the  first  Christian  Sabbath 
evening,  and  that  of  the  apostles  in  after  days. 

It  was  but  the  day  of  small  things  with  these  disciples  yet. 
The  small  things,  however,  were  not  to  be  despised ;  nor 
were  they.  What  value  the  ten  set  on  the  light  they  had 
received  we  are  not  indeed  told,  but  we  may  safely  assume 
that  their  feelings  were  much  of  kin  to  those  of  the  two 
brethren  who  journeyed  towards  Emmaus.  Conversing  to- 
gether on  the  discourse  of  Jesus  after  His  departure,  they 
said  one  unto  another,  "  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us 
while  He  talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while  He  opened 
to  us  the  Scriptures .'' "  The  light  they  had  got  might  be 
small,  but  it  was  new  light,  and  it  had  all  the  heart -kindling, 
thought-stirring  power  of  new  truth.  That  conversation 
on  the  road  formed  a  crisis  in  their  spiritual  history.  It  was 
the  dawn  of  the  gospel  day;  it  was  the  little  spark  which 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  505 

kindles  a  great  fire  ;  it  deposited  in  their  minds  a  thought 
which  was  to  form  the  germ  or  centre  of  a  new  system  of 
behef ;  it  took  away  the  veil  which  had  been  upon  their  faces 
in  the  reading  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  was  thus  the  first 
step  in  a  process  which  was  to  issue  in  their  beholding  with 
open  face,  as  in  a  glass,  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  in  their 
being  changed  into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory,  by 
the  Lord  the  Spirit.  Happy  the  man  who  has  got  even  so 
far  as  these  two  disciples  at  this  time  ! 

Some  disconsolate  soul  may  say.  Would  that  happiness 
were  mine  !  For  the  comfort  of  such  a  forlorn  brother,  let 
us  note  the  circumstances  in  which  this  new  light  arose  for 
the  disciples.  Their  hearts  were  set  a-burning  when  they 
had  become  very  dry  and  withered  :  hopeless,  sick,  and  life- 
weary,  through  sorrow  and  disappointment.  It  is  always  so  : 
the  fuel  must  be  dry  that  the  spark  may  take  hold.  It  was 
when  the  people  of  Israel  complained,  "  Our  bones  are  dried 
and  our  hope  is  lost,  we  are  cut  off  for  our  parts,"  that  the 
word  went  forth  :  "  Behold,  O  my  people,  I  will  open  your 
graves,  and  cause  you  to  come  up  out  of  your  graves,  and 
bring  you  into  the  land  of  Israel."  So  with  these  disciples 
of  Jesus.  It  was  when  every  particle  of  the  sap  of  hope  had 
been  bleached  out  of  them,  and  their  faith  had  been  reduced 
to  this,  "We  trusted  that  it  had  been  He  which  should  have 
redeemed  Israel,"  that  their  hearts  were  set  burning  by  the 
kindling  power  of  a  new  truth.  So  it  has  been  in  many  an 
instance  since  then.  The  fire  of  hope  has  been  kindled  in 
the  heart,  never  to  be  extinguished,  just  at  the  moment  when 
men  were  settling  down  into  despair ;  faith  has  been  revived 
when  a  man  seemed  to  himself  to  be  an  infidel ;  the  light  of 
truth  has  arisen  to  minds  which  had  ceased  to  look  for  the 
dawn  ;  the  comfort  of  salvation  has  returned  to  souls  which 
had  begun  to  think  that  God's  mercy  was  clean  gone  for 
ever.  "When  the  Son  of  man  cometh  shall  He  find  faith 
on  the  earth  }  " 

There  is  nothing  strange  in  this.  The  truth  is,  the  heart 
needs  to  be  dried  by  trial  before  it  can  be  made  to  burn. 
Till  sorrow  comes,  human  hearts  do  not  catch  the  divine  fire  ; 
there  is  too  much  of  this  world's  life-sap  in  them.  That  was 
what  made  the  disciples  so  slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that 


5o6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  prophets  had  spoken.  Their  worldly  ambition  prevented 
them  from  learning  the  spirituality  of  Christ's  kingdom,  and 
pride  made  them  blind  to  the  glory  of  the  cross.  Hence 
Jesus  justly  upbraided  them  for  their  unbelief  and  their  mind- 
less stupidity.  Had  their  hearts  been  pure,  they  might  have 
known  beforehand  what  was  to  happen.  As  it  was,  they 
comprehended  nothing  till  their  Lord's  death  had  blighted 
their  hope  and  blasted  their  ambition,  and  bitter  sorrow  had 
prepared  them  for  receiving  spiritual  instruction. 

Section  III.  — The  Doubt  of  Thomas. 

John  xx.  24-29. 

"Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was  not 
with  them  when  Jesus  came  "  on  that  first  Christian  Sabbath 
evening,  and  showed  Himself  to  His  disciples.  One  hopes 
he  had  a  good  reason  for  his  absence  ,  but  it  is  at  least  possi- 
ble that  he  had  not.  In  his  melancholy  humor  he  may  simply 
have  been  indulging  himself  in  the  luxury  of  solitary  sadness, 
just  as  some  whose  Christ  is  dead  do  now  spend  their  Sab- 
baths at  home  or  in  rural  solitudes,  shunning  the  offensive 
cheerfulness  or  the  drowsy  dulness  of  social  worship.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  in  any  case  he  missed  a  good  sermon  ;  the 
only  one,  so  far  as  we  know,  in  the  whole  course  of  our  Lord's 
ministry,  in  which  He  addressed  Himself  formally  to  the  task 
of  expounding  the  Messianic  doctrine  of  the  Old  Testament. 
Had  he  but  known  that  such  a  discourse  was  to  be  delivered 
that  night !  But  one  never  knows  when  the  good  things 
will  come,  and  the  only  way  to  make  sure  of  getting  them  is 
to  be  always  at  our  post. 

The  same  melancholy  humor  which  probably  caused 
Thomas  to  be  an  absentee  on  the  occasion  of  Christ's  first 
meeting  with  His  disciples  after  He  rose  from  the  dead, 
made  him  also  sceptical  above  all  the  rest  concerning  the 
tidings  of  the  resurrection.  When  the  other  disciples  told 
him  on  his  return  that  they  had  just  seen  the  Lord,  he 
replied  with  vehemence  :  "  Except  I  shall  see  in  His  hands 
the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  fingers  into  the  print  of 
the  nails,  and  put  my  hand  into  His  side,  I  will  not  believe." ' 

»  Ver.  25. 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  507 

He  was  not  to  be  satisfied  with  the  testimony  of  his  breth- 
ren :  he  must  have  palpable  evidence  for  himself.  Not  that 
he  doubted  their  veracity ;  but  he  could  not  get  rid  of  the 
suspicion  that  what  they  said  they  had  seen  was  but  a  mere 
ghostly  appearance  by  which  their  eyes  had  been  deceived. 

The  scepticism  of  Thomas  was,  we  think,  mainly  a  matter 
of  temperament,  and  had  little  in  common  with  the  doubt  of 
men  of  rationalistic  proclivities,  who  are  inveterately  incred- 
ulous respecting  the  supernatural,  and  stumble  at  every  thing 
savoring  of  the  miraculous.  It  has  been  customary  to  call 
Thomas  the  Rationalist  among  the  twelve,  and  it  has  even 
been  supposed  that  he  had  belonged  to  the  sect  of  the  Sad- 
ducees  before  he  joined  the  society  of  Jesus.  On  mature 
consideration,  we  are  constrained  to  say  that  we  see  very 
little  foundation  for  such  a  view  of  this  disciple's  character; 
while  we  certainly  do  not  grudge  modern  doubters  any  com- 
fort  they  may  derive  from  it.  We  are  quite  well  aware  that 
among  the  sincere,  and  even  the  spiritually-minded,  there 
are  men  whose  minds  are  so  constituted  that  they  find  it 
very  difficult  to  believe  in  the  supernatural  and  the  mihacu-  ^ 
lous  :  so  difficult,  that  it  is  a  question  whether,  if  they  had 
been  in  Thomas's  place,  the  freest  handling  and  the  minutest 
inspection  of  the  wounds  in  the  risen  Saviour's  body  would 
have  availed  to  draw  forth  from  them  an  expression  of  un- 
hesitating faith  in  the  reality  of  His  resurrection.  Nor  do 
we  see  any  reason  a  priori  for  asserting  that  no  disciple  of 
Jesus  could  have  been  a  person  of  such  a  cast  of  mind.  All 
we  say  is,  there  is  no  evidence  that  Thomas,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  was  a  man  of  this  stamp.  Nowhere  in  the  Gospel  his- 
tory do  we  discover  any  unreadiness  on  his  part  to  believe 
in  the  supernatural  or  the  miraculous  as  such.  We  do  not 
find,  e.g.  that  he  was  sceptical  about  the  raising  of  Lazarus  : 
we  are  only  told  that,  when  Jesus  proposed  to  visit  the 
afflicted  family  in  Bethany,  he  regarded  the  journey  as 
fraught  with  danger  to  his  beloved  Master  and  to  them  all, 
and  said,  "Let  us  also  go,  that  we  may  die  with  Him." 
Then,  as  now,  he  showed  Himself  not  so  much  the  Rational- 
ist as  the  man  of  gloomy  temperament,  prone  to  look  upon 
the  dark  side  of  things,  living  in  the  pensive  moonlight 
rather  than  in  the  cheerful   sunlight.     His   doubt    did   not 


5o8  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

spring  out  of  his  system  of  thought,  but  out  of  the  state  of 
his  feelings. 

Another  thing  we  must  say  here  concerning  the  doubt  of 
this  disciple.  It  did  not  proceed  from  unwillingness  to 
believe.  It  was  the  doubt  of  a  sad  man,  whose  sadness  was 
due  to  this,  that  the  event  whereof  he  doubted  was  one  of 
which  he  would  most  gladly  be  assured.  Nothing  could  give 
Thomas  greater  delight  than  to  be  certified  that  his  Master 
was  indeed  risen.  This  is  evident  from  the  joy  he  manifested 
when  he  was  at  length  satisfied.  *'  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  " 
that  is  not  the  exclamation  of  one  who  is  forced  reluctantly 
to  admit  a  fact  he  would  rather  deny.  It  is  common  for 
men  who  never  had  any  doubts  themselves  to  trace  all  doubt 
to  bad  motives,  and  denounce  it  indiscriminately  as  a  crime. 
Now,  unquestionably,  too  many  doubt  from  bad  motives, 
because  they  do  not  wish  and  cannot  afford  to  believe. 
Many  deny  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  because  it  would  be 
to  them  a  resurrection  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt. 
But  this  is  by  no  means  true  of  all.  Some  doubt  who  desire 
to  believe  ;  nay,  their  doubt  is  due  to  their  excessive  anxiety 
to  believe.  They  are  so  eager  to  know  the  very  truth,  and 
feel  so  keenly  the  immense  importance  of  the  interests  at 
stake,  that  they  cannot  take  things  for  granted,  and  for  a 
time  their  hand  so  trembles  that  they  cannot  seize  firm  hold 
of  the  great  objects  of  faith  —  a  living  God;  an  incarnate, 
crucified,  risen  Saviour ;  a  glorious  eternal  future.  Theirs 
is  the  doubt  peculiar  to  earnest,  thoughtful,  pure-hearted 
men,  wide  as  the  poles  asunder  from  the  doubt  of  the  frivo- 
lous, the  worldly,  the  vicious  :  a  holy,  noble  doubt,  not  a  base 
and  unholy ;  if  not  to  be  praised  as  positively  meritorious, 
still  less  to  be  harshly  condemned  and  excluded  from  the 
pale  of  Christian  sympathy  —  a  doubt  which  at  worst  is  but 
an  infirmity,  and  which  ever  ends  in  strong,  unwavering 
faith. 

That  Jesus  regarding  the  doubt  of  the  heavy-hearted  dis- 
ciple as  of  this  sort,  we  infer  from  His  way  of  dealing  with  it. 
Thomas  having  been  absent  on  the  occasion  of  His  first 
appearing  to  the  disciples,  the  risen  Lord  makes  a  second 
appearance  for  the  absent  one's  special  benefit,  and  offers 
him    the   proof   desiderated.       The    introductory    salutation 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  509 

being  over,  He  turns  Himself  at  once  to  the  doubter,  and 
addresses  him  in  terms  fitted  to  remind  him  of  his  own  state- 
ment to  his  brethren,  saying :  "  Reach  hither  thy  finger,  and 
behold  my  hands  ;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  thrust  it 
into  my  side  :  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing."  There 
may  be  somewhat  of  reproach  here,  but  there  is  far  more  of 
most  considerate  sympathy.  Jesus  speaks  as  to  a  sincere 
disciple,  whose  faith  is  weak,  not  as  to  one  who  hath  an  evil 
heart  of  unbelief.  When  demands  for  evidence  were  made 
by  men  who  merely  wanted  an  excuse  for  unbelief,  He  met 
them  in  a  very  different  manner.  "A  wicked  and  adulterous 
generation,"  He  was  wont  to  say  in  such  a  case,  "  seeketh 
after  a  sign,  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  unto  it  but  the 
sign  of  the  Prophet  Jonas." 

Having  ascertained  the  character  of  Thomas's  doubt,  let 
us  now  look  at  his  faith. 

The  melancholy  disciple's  doubts  were  soon  removed. 
But  how  .-*  Did  Thomas  avail  himself  of  the  offered  facilities 
for  ascertaining  the  reality  of  his  Lord's  resurrection  .''  Did 
he  actually  put  his  fingers  and  hand  into  the  nail  and  spear 
wounds  }  Opinions  differ  on  this  point,  but  we  think  the 
probability  is  on  the  side  of  those  who  maintain  the  negative. 
Several  things  incline  us  to  this  view.  First,  the  narrative 
seems  to  leave  no  room  for  the  process  of  investigation. 
Thomas  answers  the  proposal  of  Jesus  by  what  appears  to  be 
an  immediate  profession  of  faith.  Then  the  form  in  which 
that  profession  is  made  is  not  such  as  we  should  expect  the 
result  of  a  deliberate  inquiry  to  assume.  "  My  Lord  and  my 
God  !  "  is  the  warm,  passionate  language  of  a  man  who  has 
undergone  some  sudden  change  of  feeling,  rather  than  of  one 
who  has  just  concluded  a  scientific  experiment.  Further,  we 
observe  there  is  no  allusion  to  such  a  process  in  the  remark 
made  by  Jesus  concerning  the  faith  of  Thomas.  The  dis- 
ciple is  represented  as  believing  because  he  has  seen  the 
wounds  shown,  not  because  he  has  handled  them.  Finally, 
the  idea  of  the  process  proposed  being  actually  gone  through 
is  inconsistent  with  the  character  of  the  man  to  whom  the 
proposal  was  mad^e.  Thomas  was  not  one  of  your  calm,  cold- 
blooded men,  who  conduct  inquiries  into  truth  with  the 
passionless   inpartiality   of   a   judge,   and  who   would    have 


5IO  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

examined' the  wounds  in  the  risen  Saviour's  body  with  all 
the  coolness  with  which  anatomists  dissect  dead  carcasses. 
He  was  a  man  of  passionate,  poetic  temperament,  vehement 
alike  in  his  belief  and  in  his  unbelief,  and  moved  to  faith  or 
doubt  by  the  feelings  of  his  heart  rather  than  by  the  reason- 
ings of  his  intellect. 

The  truth,  we  imagine,  about  Thomas  was  something  like 
this.  When,  eight  days  before,  he  made  that  threat  to  his 
brother  disciples,  he  did  not  deliberately  mean  all  he  said. 
It  was  the  whimsical  utterance  of  a  melancholy  man,  who 
was  in  the  humor  to  be  as  disconsolate  and  miserable  as 
possible.  "Jesus  risen!  the  thing  is  impossible,  and  there's 
an  end  of  it.  I  won't  believe  except  I  do  so  and  so.  I  don't 
know  if  I  shall  believe  when  all's  done."  But  eight  days 
have  gone  by,  and,  lo,  there  is  Jesus  in  the  midst  of  them, 
visible  to  the  disciple  who  was  absent  on  the  former  occasion 
as  well  as  to  the  rest.  Will  Thomas  still  insist  on  applying 
his  rigorous  test .-"  No,  no  !  His  doubts  vanish  at  the  very 
sight  of  Jesus,  like  morning  mists  at  sunrise.  Even  before 
the  Risen  One  has  laid  bare  His  wounds,  and  uttered  those 
half-reproachful,  yet  kind,  sympathetic  words,  which  evince 
intimate  knowledge  of  all  that  has  been  passing  through  His 
doubting  disciple's  mind,  Thomas  is  virtually  a  believer  ;  and 
after  he  has  seen  the  ugly  wounds  and  heard  the  generous 
words,  he  is  ashamed  of  his  rash,  reckless  speech  to  his 
brethren,  and,  overcome  with  joy  and  with  tears,  exclaims, 
"  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  " 

It  was  a  noble  confession  of  faith,  — the  most  advanced, 
in  fact,  ever  made  by  any  of  the  twelve  during  the  time  they 
were  with  Jesus.  The  last  is  first ;  the  greatest  doubter 
attains  to  the  fullest  and  firmest  belief.  So  has  it  often 
happened  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  Baxter  records  it 
as  his  experience,  that  nothing  is  so  firmly  believed  as  that 
which  hath  once  been  doubted.  Many  Thomases  have  said, 
or  could  say,  the  same  thing  of  themselves.  The  doubters 
have  eventually  become  the  soundest  and  even  the  warmest 
believers.  Doubt  in  itself  is  a  cold  thing,  and,  as  in  the  case 
of  Thomas,  it  often  utters  harsh  and  heartless  sayings.  Nor 
need  this  surprise  us  ;  for  when  the  mind  is  in  doubt  the 
soul   is  in  darkness,  and  during  the  chilly  night  the  heart 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  511 

becomes  frozen.  But  when  the  daylight  of  faith  comes,  the 
frost  melts,  and  hearts  which  once  seemed  hard  and  stony 
show  themselves  capable  of  generous  enthusiasm  and  ardent 
devotion. 

Socinians,  whose  system  is  utterly  overthrown  by  Thomas's 
confession  naturally  interpreted,  tell  us  that  the  words  "  My 
Lord  and  my  God  "  do  not  refer  to  Jesus  at  all,  but  to  the 
Deity  in  heaven.  They  are  merely  an  expression  of  astonish- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  disciple,  on  finding  that  what  he  had 
doubted  was  really  come  to  pass.  He  lifts  up  his  eyes  and 
his  hands  to  heaven,  as  it  were,  and  exclaims.  My  Lord 
and  my  God  !  it  is  a  fact  :  The  crucified  Jesus  is  restored  to 
life  again.  This  interpretation  is  utterly  desperate.  It  dis- 
regards the  statement  of  the  text,  that  Thomas,  in  uttering 
these  words,  was  answering  and  speaking  to  Jesus,  and  it 
makes  a  man  bursting  with  emotion  speak  frigidly  ;  for  while 
the  one  expression  "  My  God  "  might  have  been  an  appropri- 
ate utterance  of  astonishment,  the  two  phrases,  "  My  Lord 
and  my  God,"  are  for  that  purpose  weak  and  unnatural. 

We  have  here,  therefore,  no  mere  expression  of  surprise, 
but  a  profession  of  faith  most  appropriate  to  the  man  and 
the  circumstances  ;  as  pregnant  with  meaning  as  it  is  pithy 
and  forcible.  Thomas  declares  at  once  his  acceptance  of  a 
miraculous  fact,  and  his  belief  in  a  momentous  doctrine.  In 
the  first  part  of  his  address  to  Jesus  he  recognizes  that  He 
who  was  dead  is  alive  :  My  Lord,  my  beloved  Master !  it  is 
even  He,  —  the  very  same  person  with  whom  we  enjoyed 
such  blessed  fellowship  before  He  was  crucified.  In  the 
second  part  of  his  address  he  acknowledges  Christ's  divinity, 
if  not  for  the  first  time,  at  least  with  an  intelligence  and  an 
emphasis  altogether  new.  From  the  fact  he  rises  to  the 
doctrine  :  My  Lord  risen,  yea,  and  therefore  my  God  ;  for 
He  is  divine  over  whom  death  hath  no  power.  And  the  doc- 
trine in  turn  helps  to  give  to  the  fact  of  the  resurrection 
additional  certainty ;  for  if  Christ  be  God,  death  could  have 
no  power  over  Him,  and  His  resurrection  was  a  matter  of 
course.  Thomas  having  reached  the  sublime  affirmation, 
"  My  God,"  has  made  the  transition  from  the  low  platform 
of  faith  on  which  he  stood  when  he  demanded  sensible  evi- 
dence, to  the  higher,  on  which  it  is  felt  that  such  evidence 
is  superfluous. 


5 1 2  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

We  have  now  to  notice,  in  the  last  place,  the  remark  made 
by  the  Lord  concerning  the  faith  just  professed  by  His  dis- 
ciple. "Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thomas,  because  thou  hast 
seen  me,  thou  hast  believed  :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not 
seen,  and  yet  have  believed." 

This  reflection  on  the  blessedness  of  those  who  believe 
without  seeing,  though  expressed  in  the  past  tense,  really 
concerned  the  future.  The  case  supposed  by  Jesus  was  to 
be  the  case  of  all  believers  after  the  apostolic  age.  Since 
then  no  one  has  seen,  and  no  one  can  believe  because  he  has 
seen,  as  the  apostles  saw.  They  saw,  that  we  might  be  able 
to  do  without  seeing,  believing  on  their  testimony. 

But  what  does  Jesus  mean  by  pronouncing  a  beatitude  on 
those  who  see  not,  yet  believe.'' 

He  does  not  mean  to  commend  those  who  believe  with- 
out any  inquiry.  It  is  one  thing  to  believe  without  seeing, 
another  thing  to  believe  without  consideration.  To  believe 
without  seeing  is  to  be  capable  of  being  satisfied  with  some- 
thing less  than  absolute  demonstration,  or  to  have  such  an 
inward  illumination  as  renders  us  to  a  certain  extent  inde- 
pendent of  external  evidence.  Such  a  faculty  of  faith  is  most 
needful ;  for  if  faith  were  possible  only  to  those  who  see,  belief 
in  Christianity  could  not  extend  beyond  the  apostolic  age. 
But  to  believe  without  consideration  is  a  different  matter  alto- 
gether. It  is  simply  not  to  care  whether  the  thing  believed 
be  true  or  false.  There  is  no  merit  in  doing  that.  Such  faith 
has  its  origin  in  what  is  base  in  men, — in  their  ignorance, 
sloth,  and  spiritual  indifference ;  and  it  can  bring  no  blessing 
to  its  possessors.  Be  the  truths  credited  ever  so  high,  holy, 
blessed,  what  good  can  a  faith  do  which  receives  them  as 
matters  of  course  without  inquiry,  or  without  even  so  much 
as  knowing  what  the  truths  believed  mean  } 

The  Lord  Jesus,  then,  does  not  here  bestow  a  benediction 
on  credulity. 

As  little  does  He  mean  to  say  that  all  the  felicity  falls  to 
the  lot  of  those  who  have  never,  like  Thomas,  doubted.  The 
fact  is  not  so.  Those  who  believe  with  facility  do  certainly 
enjoy  a  blessedness  all  their  own.  They  escape  the  torment 
of  uncertainty,  and  the  current  of  their  spiritual  life  flows 
on  very  smoothly.     But  the   men  who   have   doubted,  and 


The  Shepherd  Restored.  513 

now  at  length  believe,  have  also  their  peculiar  joys,  with 
which  no  stranger  can  intermeddle.  Theirs  is  the  joy 
experienced  when  that  which  was  dead  is  alive  again,  and 
that  which  was  lost  is  found.  Theirs  is  the  rapture  of 
Thomas  when  he  exclaimed,  with*  reference  to  a  Saviour 
thought  to  be  gone  for  ever,  "My  Lord  and  my  God." 
Theirs  is  the  bliss  of  the  man  who,  having  dived  into  a  deep 
sea,  brings  up  a  pearl  of  very  great  price.  Theirs  is  the 
comfort  of  having  their  very  bygone  doubts  made  available 
for  the  furtherance  of  their  faith,  every  doubt  becoming  a 
stone  in  the  hidden  foundation  on  which  the  superstructure 
of  their  creed  is  built,  the  perturbations  of  faith  being  con- 
verted into  confirmations,  just  as  the  perturbations  in  the 
planetary  motions,  at  first  supposed  to  throw  doubt  on 
Newton's  theory  of  gravitation,  were  converted  by  more 
searching  inquiry  into  the  strongest  proof  of  its  truth. 

What,  then,  does  the  Lord  Jesus  mean  by  these  words  } 
Simply  this  :  He  would  have  those  who  must  believe  with- 
out seeing,  understand  that  they  have  no  cause  to  envy  those 
who  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing,  and  who  believed  only 
after  they  saw.  We  who  live  so  far  from  the  events,  are 
very  apt  to  imagine  that  we  are  placed  at  a  great  disadvan- 
tage as  compared  with  the  disciples  of  Jesus.  So  in  some 
respects  we  are,  and  especially  in  this,  that  faith  is  more 
difficult  for  us  than  for  them.  But  then  we  must  not  forget 
that,  in  proportion  as  faith  is  difficult,  it  is  meritorious,  and 
precious  to  the  heart.  It  is  a  higher  attainment  to  be  able 
to  believe  without  seeing,  than  to  believe  because  we  have 
seen  ;  and  if  it  cost  an  effort,  the  trial  of  faith  but  enhances 
its  value.  We  must  remember,  further,  that  we  never  reach 
the  full  blessedness  of  faith  till  what  we  believe  shines  in  the 
light  of  its  own  self-evidence.  Think  you  the  disciples 
were  happy  men  because  they  had  seen  their  risen  Lord  and 
believed  }  They  were  far  happier  when  they  had  attained 
to  such  clear  insight  into  the  whole  mystery  of  redemption, 
that  proof  of  this  or  that  particular  fact  or  doctrine  was  felt 
to  be  quite  unnecessary. 

To  that  felicity  Jesus  wished  His  doubting  disciple  to 
aspire  ;  and  by  contrasting  his  case  with  that  of  those  who 
believe  without   seeing,    He   gives  us   to   know  that   it   is 


514  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

attainable  for  us  also.  We,  too,  may  attain  the  blessedness 
of  a  faith  raised  above  all  doubt  by  its  own  clear  insight  into 
divine  truth.  If  we  are  faithful,  we  may  rise  to  this  from 
very  humble  things.  We  may  begin,  in  our  weakness,  with 
being  Thomases,  clinging  eagerly  to  every  spar  of  external 
evidence  to  save  ourselves  from  drowning,  and  end  with  a 
faith  amounting  almost  to  sight,  rejoicing  in  Jesus  as  our 
Lord  and  God,  with  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

THE  UNDER-SHEPHERDS  ADMONISHED. 

Section  I.  —  Pastoral  Duty. 

John  xxi.  15-17. 

"  I  GO  a-fishing,"  said  Simon  to  his  companions,  some  time 
after  they  and  he  had  returned  from  Jerusalem  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Galilean  lake.  "We  also  go  with  thee," 
replied  Thomas  and  Nathanael,  and  James  and  John,  and  two 
others  unnamed,  making  with  Peter  seven,  probably  all  of 
the  eleven  who  were  fishermen  by  trade.  One  and  all  went 
on  that  fishing  expedition  con  ainore.  It  was  an  expedition, 
we  presume,  in  the  first  place,  in  quest  of  food,  but  it  was 
something  more.  It  was  a  return  to  dear  old  ways,  amid 
familiar  scenes,  which  called  up  pleasing  reminiscences  of 
bygone  times.  It  was  a  recreation  and  a  solace,  most  wel- 
come and  most  needful  to  men  who  had  passed  through  very 
painful  and  exciting  experiences  ;  a  holiday  for  men  fatigued 
by  sorrow,  and  surprise,  and  watching.  Every  student  with 
overtasked  brain,  every  artisan  with  overstrained  sinews,  can 
conceive  the  abandon  with  which  those  seven  disciples  threw 
themselves  into  their  boats,  and  sailed  out  into  the  depths 
of  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  to  ply  their  old  craft. 

Out  on  the  waters  that  night,  what  were  these  men's 
thoughts }  From  the  significant  allusion  made  by  Jesus  to 
Peter's  youth  in  the  colloquy  of  next  morning,  we  infer  they 
were  something  like  the  following  : —  "After  all,  were  it  not 
better  to  be  simple  fishermen  than  to  be  apostles  of  the 
Christian  religion  .''  What  have  we  got  by  following  Jesus  .'' 
Certainly  not  what  we  expected.  And  have  we  any  reason 
to  expect  better  things  in  the  future  .-*  Our  Master  has  told 
us  that  our  future  lot  will  be  very  much  like  His  own, — a 

515. 


5i6  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

life  of  sorrow,  ending  probably  in  martyrdom.  But  here,  in 
our  native  province  of  Galilee,  pursuing  our  old  calling,  we 
might  think,  believe,  act  as  we  pleased,  shielded  by  obscurity 
from  all  danger.  Then  how  delightfully  free  and  independent 
this  rustic  life  by  the  shores  of  the  lake  !  In  former  days, 
ere  we  left  our  nets  and  followed  Jesus,  we  girded  ourselves 
with  our  fishermen's  coats,  and  walked  whither  we  would. 
When  we  shall  have  become  apostles,  all  that  will  be  at  an 
end.  We  shall  be  burdened  with  a  heavy  load  of  responsi- 
bility ;  obliged  continually  to  think  of  others,  and  not  to 
please  ourselves  ;  liable  to  have  our  personal  liberty  taken 
away,  yea,  even  our  very  life." 

In  putting  such  words  into  the  mouths  of  the  disciples,  we 
do  not  violate  probability ;  for  such  feelings  as  the  words 
express  are  both  natural  and  common  in  view  of  grave  re- 
sponsibilities and  perils  about  to  be  incurred.  Perhaps  no 
one  ever  put  his  hand  to  the  plough  of  an  arduous  enterprise, 
without  indulging  for  at  least  a  brief  space  in  such  a  looking 
back.     It  is  an  infirmity  which  easily  besets  human  nature. 

Yet,  natural  as  it  comes  to  men  to  look  back,  it  is  not  wise. 
Regretful  thoughts  of  the  past  are  for  the  most  part  delusive  ; 
they  were  so,  certainly,  in  the  case  of  the  disciples.  If  the 
simple  life  they  left  behind  them  was  so  very  happy,  why  did 
they  leave  it }  Why  so  prompt  to  forsake  their  nets  and  their 
boats,  and  to  follow  after  Jesus  .-'  Ah  !  fishing  in  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  did  not  satisfy  the  whole  man. 
Life  is  more  than  meat,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  man's 
chief  end.  Besides,  the  fisherman's  life  has  its  drawbacks, 
and  is  by  no  means  so  romantic  as  it  seems  at  the  distance 
of  years.  You  may  sometimes  go  out  with  your  nets,  and 
toil  all  night,  and  catch  nothing. 

This  was  what  actually  happened  on  the  present  occasion. 
"  That  night  they  caught  nothing."  '  The  circumstance  prob- 
ably helped  to  break  the  spell  of  romance,  and  to  waken  the 
seven  disciples  out  of  a  fond  dream.  Be  that  as  it  may,  there 
was  One  who  knew  all  their  thoughts,  and  who  would  see  to 
it  that  they  did  not  indulge  long  in  the  luxury  of  reactionary 
feeling.  "  When  the  morning  was  now  come,  Jesus  stood  on 
the  shore."  *     He  is  come  to  show  Himself  for  the  third  time  ^ 

'  John  xxi.  3.  *  John  xxi.  4.  *  The  sixth  appearance  since  He  was  risen. 


The  Under- Shepherds  Admonished.  517 

to  His  disciples, — not,  as  before,  to  convince  them  that  He 
is  risen,  but  to  induce  them  to  dedicate  their  whole  minds 
and  hearts  to  their  future  vocation  as  fishers  of  men,  and  as 
under-shepherds  of  the  flock,  preparatory  to  His  own  depart^ 
ure  from  the  world.  His  whole  conduct  on  this  occasion  is 
directed  to  that  object.  First,  He  gives  them  directions  for 
catching  a  great  haul  of  fish,  to  remind  them  of  their  former 
call  to  be  His  apostles,  and  to  be  an  encouraging  sign  or  sym- 
bol of  their  success  in  their  apostolic  work.  Then  He  invites 
them  to  dine  on  fish  which  He  had  procured,'  roasted  on  a 
fire  of  His  own  kindling  on  the  shore,  to  cure  them  of  earthly 
care,  and  to  assure  them  that  if  they  seek  to  serve  the  king- 
dom with  undivided  heart,  all  their  wants  will  be  attended  to. 
Finally,  when  the  morning  meal  is  over,  He  enters  into  con- 
versation, in  the  hearing  of  all,  with  the  disciple  who  had 
been  the  leader  in  the  night  adventure  on  the  lake,  and 
addresses  him  in  a  style  fitted  to  call  forth  all  his  latent 
enthusiasm,  and  intended  to  have  a  similar  effect  on  the 
minds  of  all  present. 

On  the  surface,  the  words  spoken  by  Jesus  to  Peter  seem 
to  concern  that  disciple  alone;  and  the  object  aimed  at 
appears  to  be  to  restore  him  to  a  position  as  an  apostle, 
which  he  might  not  unnaturally  think  he  had  forfeited  by 
his  conduct  in  the  high  priest's  palace.  This,  accordingly, 
is  the  view  commonly  taken  of  this  impressive  scene  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake.  And  whether  we  agree  with  that  view  or 
not,  we  must  admit  that,  for  some  reason  or  other,  the  Lord 
Jesus  wished  to  recall  to  Peter's  remembrance  his  recent 
shortcomings.  Traces  of  allusion  to  past  incidents  in  the  dis- 
ciple's history  during  the  late  crisis  are  unmistakable.  Even 
the  time  selected  for  the  conversation  is  significant.  It  was 
when  they  had  dined  that  Jesus  asked  Peter  if  he  loved 
Him  ;  it  was  after  they  had  supped  Jesus  gave  His  disciples 
His  new  commandment  of  love,  and  that  Peter  made  his 
vehement  protestation  of  devotion  to  his  Master's  cause  and 
person.  The  name  by  which  the  risen  Lord  addressed  His 
disciple  —  not  Peter,  but  Simon  son  of  Jonas  —  was  fitted  to 
remind  him  of  his  weakness,  and  of  that  other  occasion  on 

'  When  the  disciples  landed,  they  saw  the  fire  and  fish  already  laid  on  it,  and  bread 
set  near  by. 


5i8  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

which,  calling  him  by  the  same  name,  Jesus  warned  him  that 
Satan  was  about  to  sift  him  as  wheat.  The  thrice-repeated 
question,  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?  "  could  not  fail  painfully  to 
remind  Peter  of  his  threefold  denial,  and  so  to  renew  his 
grief.  The  form  in  which  the  question  was  first  put  — 
"Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these.?"  —  contains  a  manifest 
allusion  to  Peter's  declaration,  "  Though  all  shall  be  offended 
because  of  Thee,  yet  will  I  never  be  offended."  The  injunc- 
tion, "  Feed  my  sheep,"  points  back  to  the  prophetic 
announcement  made  by  Jesus  on  the  way  to  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  "  All  ye  shall  be  offended  because  of  me  this  night  ; 
for  it  is  written,  I  will  smite  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep  of 
the  flock  shall  be  scattered  abroad,"  and  means.  Suffer  not 
the  sheep  to  be  scattered,  as  ye  were  for  a  season  scattered 
yourselves.  The  injunction,  "  Feed  my  lambs,"  associated 
with  the  first  question,  "  Lovest  thou  me  more  than  these .-' " 
makes  us  think  of  the  charge,  "  When  thou  art  converted, 
strengthen  thy  brethren  ; "  the  idea  suggested  in  both  cases 
being  the  same,  viz.  that  the  man  who  has  fallen  most  deeply, 
and  learned  most  thoroughly  his  own  weakness,  is,  or  ought 
to  be,  best  qualified  for  strengthening  the  weak,  —  for  feed- 
ing the  lambs. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  allusions  to  Peter's  fall,  we  are 
unable  to  acquiesce  in  the  view  that  the  scene  here  recorded 
signified  the  formal  restoration  of  the  erring  disciple  to  his 
position  as  an  apostle.  We  do  not  deny  that,  after  what  had 
taken  place,  that  disciple  needed  restoration  for  his  own 
comfort  and  peace  of  mind.  But  our  difficulty  is  this :  Had 
he  not  been  restored  already  .'^  What  was  the  meaning  of 
that  private  meeting  between  him  and  Jesus,  and  what  its 
necessary  result  }  Who  can  doubt  that  after  that  meeting 
the  disciple's  mind  was  at  ease,  and  that  thereafter  he  was 
at  peace,  both  with  himself  and  with  his  Master.?  Or  if 
evidence  is  wanted  of  the  fact,  look  at  Peter's  behavior  on 
recognizing  Jesus  from  the  boat,  as  He  stood  on  the  shore 
in  the  gray  morning,  casting  himself  as  he  was  into  the  sea, 
in  his  haste  to  get  near  his  beloved  Lord.  Was  that  the 
behavior  of  a  man  afflicted  with  a  guilty  conscience  .^  But 
it  may  be  replied.  There  was  still  need  for  a  formal  public 
restoration,  the  scandal  caused  by  Peter's  sin  being  public. 


The  Under- Shepherds  Admonished.  519 

This  we  doubt ;  but  even  granting  it,  what  then  ?  Why  did 
the  restoration  not  take  place  sooner,  at  the  first  or  second 
meeting  in  Jerusalem  ?  Then,  does  the  scene  by  the  shores 
of  the  lake  really  look  like  a  formal  transaction  ?  Can  we 
regard  that  casual,  easy,  familiar  meeting  and  colloquy  after 
breakfast  with  two-thirds  of  the  disciples  as  an  ecclesiastical 
diet,  for  the  solemn  purpose  of  restoring  a  fallen  brother  to 
church  fellowship  and  standing  ?  The  idea  is  too  frigid  and 
pedantic  to  be  seriously  entertained.  Then  one  more  objec- 
tion to  this  theory  remains  to  be  stated,  viz.  that  it  fails  to 
give  unity  to  the  various  parts  of  the  scene.  It  may  explain 
the  questioning  to  which  Jesus  subjected  Peter,  but  it  does 
not  explain  the  prophetic  reference  to  his  future  history 
with  which  He  followed  it  up.  Between  "  I  allow  you,  not- 
withstanding past  misdemeanors,  to  be  an  apostle,"  and  "I 
forewarn  you  that  in  that  capacity  you  shall  not  have  the 
freedom  of  action  in  which  you  rejoiced  in  former  days," 
there  is  no  connection  traceable.  Peter's  fall  did  not  sug- 
gest such  a  turn  of  thought ;  for  it  sprang  not  from  the  love 
of  freedom,  but  from  the  fear  of  man. 

Not  the  restoration  of  Peter  to  a  forfeited  position,  but  his 
recall  to  a  more  solemn  sense  of  his  high  vocation,  do  we 
find  in  this  scene.  Not  "  I  allow  you,"  but  "  I  urge  you," 
seems  to  us  to  be  the  burthen  of  Christ's  words  to  this  dis- 
ciple, and  through  him  to  all  his  brethren.  By  all  consider- 
ations He  would  move  them  to  address  themselves  heart 
and  soul  to  their  apostolic  work,  and  let  boats  and  nets  and 
every  thing  else  alone  for  ever.  "  By  the  memory  of  thine 
own  weakness,"  He  would  say  to  Simon  for  that  end;  "by 
my  forgiving  love,  and  thy  gratitude  for  it ;  by  the  need  of 
brother  disciples,  which  thine  own  past  frailty  may  teach 
thee  to  understand  and  compassionate  ;  by  the  ardent  attach- 
ment which  I  know  you  cherish  towards  myself :  by  these 
and  all  kindred  considerations,  I  charge  thee,  on  the  eve  of 
my  departure,  be  a  hero,  play  the  man,  be  strong  for  others, 
not  for  thyself,  'feed  the  flock  of  God,  taking  the  oversight 
thereof,  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly.'  Shrink  not  from 
responsibility,  covet  not  ease,  bend  thy  neck  to  the  yoke, 
and  let  love  make  it  light.  Sweet  is  liberty  to  thy  human 
heart ;  but  patient,  burden-bearing  love,  though  less  pleasant, 
is  far  more  noble." 


520  The  Training  of  the   Twelve. 

Such  being  the  message  which  Jesus  meant  for  all  present, 
Peter  was  most  appropriately  selected  as  the  medium  for 
conveying  it.  He  was  an  excellent  text  on  which  to  preach 
a  sermon  on  self-consecration.  His  character  and  conduct 
supplied  all  the  poetry,  and  argument,  and  illustration  neces- 
sary to  give  pathos  and  point  to  the  theme.  How  dear  to 
his  impetuous,  passionate  spirit,  unrestrained  freedom  !  And 
what  heart  is  not  touched  by  the  thought  of  such  a  man 
schooling  his  high,  mettlesome  soul  into  patience  and  sub- 
mission .-'  The  young,  frolicsome,  bounding  fisherman,  gird- 
ing on  his  coat,  and  going  hither  and  thither  at  his  own 
sweet  will ;  the  aged  saintly  apostle,  meek  as  a  lamb, 
stretching  forth  his  arms  to  be  bound  for  the  martyr's  doom  : 
what  a  moving  contrast !  Had  that  passionate  man,  in  some 
senses  the  strongest  character  among  the  twelve,  been  in 
other  senses  the  weakest,  then  who  could  better  illustrate 
men's  need  of  shepherding .-'  Had  he  learnt  his  own  weak- 
ness, and  through  his  knowledge  thereof  grown  stronger? 
Then  how  better  state  the  general  duty  of  the  strong  to  help 
the  weak,  than  by  assigning  to  this  particular  disciple  the 
special  duty  of  taking  care  of  the  weakest  ?  To  say  to  Peter, 
"  Feed  my  lambs,"  was  to  say  to  all  the  apostles,  "  Feed  my 
sheep." 

In  requiring  Peter  to  show  his  love  by  performing  the  part 
of  shepherd  to  the  little  flock  of  believers,  Jesus  adapted  His 
demand  to  the  spiritual  capacity  of  the  disciple.  Love  to 
the  Saviour  does  not  necessarily  take  the  form  of  feeding  the 
sheep ;  in  immature  and  inexperienced  disciples,  it  rather 
takes  the  form  of  being  sheep.  It  is  only  after  the  weak 
have  become  strong,  and  established  in  grace,  that  they 
ought  to  become  shepherds,  charging  themselves  with  the 
care  of  others.  In  laying  on  Peter  and  his  brethren  pastoral 
duties,  therefore,  Jesus  virtually  announces  that  they  have 
now  passed,  or  are  about  to  pass,  out  of  the  category  of  the 
weak  into  the  category  of  the  strong.  "  Hitherto,"  He 
virtually  says  to  them,  "ye  have  been  as  sheep,  needing  to 
be  guided,  watched  over,  and  defended  by  the  wisdom  and 
courage  of  another.  Now,  however,  the  time  is  arrived  when 
ye  must  become  shepherds,  able  and  willing  to  do  for  the 
weak  what  I  have  done  for  you.     Hitherto  ye  have  left  me 


The  Under- Shepherds  Admonished.  521 

to  care  for  you  ;  henceforth  you  must  accustom  yourselves 
to  be  looked  to  as  guardians,  even  as  I  have  been  by  you. 
Hitherto  ye  have  been  as  children  under  me,  your  parent ; 
henceforth  ye  must  yourselves  be  parents,  taking  charge  of 
the  children.  Hitherto  ye  have  been  as  raw  recruits,  liable 
to  panic,  and  fleeing  from  danger ;  henceforth  ye  must  be 
captains  superior  to  fear,  and  by  your  calm  determination 
inspire  the  soldiers  of  the  cross  with  heroic  daring."  In 
short,  Jesus  here  in  effect  announces  to  Peter  and  to  the 
rest  that  they  are  now  to  make  the  transition  from  boyhood 
to  manhood,  from  pupilage  to  self-government,  from  a  posi- 
tion of  dependence  and  exemption  from  care  to  one  of  influ- 
ence, authority,  and  responsibility,  as  leaders  and  commanders 
in  the  Christian  community,  doing  the  work  for  which  they 
have  been  so  long  under  training.  Such  a  transition  and 
transformation  did  accordingly  take  place  shortly  after  in 
the  history  of  the  disciples.  They  assumed  the  position  of 
Christ's  deputies  or  substitutes  after  His  ascension,  Peter 
being  the  leading  or  representative  man,  though  not  the 
Pope,  in  the  infant  Church  ;  and  their  character  was  altered 
to  fit  them  for  their  high  functions.  The  timid  disciples 
became  bold  apostles.  Peter,  who  weakly  denied  the  Lord 
in  the  judgment-hall,  heroically  confessed  Him  before  the 
Sanhedrim.  The  ignorant  and  stupid  disciples,  who  had 
been  continually  misunderstanding  their  Master's  words, 
became  filled  with  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding, 
so  that  men  listened  to  their  words  as  they  had  been  wont  to 
listen  to  the  words  of  Jesus  Himself. 

We  have  said  that  love  to  Christ  does  not  impose  on  all 
His  disciples  the  duty  of  a  shepherd  ;  showing  itself  rather 
in  by  far  the  larger  number  in  simply  hearing  the  shepherd's 
voice  and  following  him,  and  generally  in  a  willingness  to  be 
guided  by  those  who  are  wiser  than  themselves.  We  must 
add,  that  all  who  are  animated  by  the  spirit  of  love  to  the 
Redeemer,  will  be  either  shepherds  or  sheep,  actively  useful 
in  caring  for  the  souls  of  others,  or  thankfully  using  the  pro- 
vision made  for  the  care  of  their  own  souls.  Too  many, 
however,  come  under  neither  designation.  Some  are  sheep 
indeed,  but  sheep  going  astray ;  others  are  neither  sheep  nor 
shepherds,  being  self-reliant,  yet  indisposed  to  be  helpful ; 


522  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

too  self-willed  to  be  led,  yet  disinclined  to  make  their  strength 
and  experience  available  for  their  brethren,  utilizing  all  their 
talents  for  the  exclusive  service  of  their  own  private  interests. 
Such  men  are  to  be  found  in  Church  and  State,  sedulously 
holding  back  from  office  and  responsibility,  and  severely 
criticising  those  who  have  come  under  the  yoke;  animad- 
verting on  their  timidity  and  bondage,  as  unbroken  colts,  if 
they  could  speak,  might  animadvert  on  the  tameness  of  horses 
in  harness,  the  bits  and  bridles  that  form  apart  of  church 
harness,  in  the  shape  of  formulas  and  confessions,  coming 
in  for  a  double  share  of  censure.' 

Now,  it  is  all  very  well  to  be  wild  colts,  rejoicing  in  unre- 
strained liberty,  for  a  season  in  youth  ;  but  it  will  not  do  to 
be  spurning  the  yoke  all  one's  lifetime.  "  Ye,  then,  that  are 
strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  not  to 
please  yourselves."  It  is  no  doubt  most  agreeable  to  be  free 
from  care,  and  to  walk  about  unfettered  in  opinion  and  action, 
and,  shaking  off  those  who  would  hang  on  our  skirts,  to  live 
the  life  of  gods,  careless  of  mankind.  But  it  is  not  the  chief 
end  of  any  man,  least  of  all  of  a  wise  and  strong  man,  to  be 
free  from  care  or  trouble.  He  who  has  a  Christian  heart 
must  feel  that  he  is  strong  and  wise  for  the  sake  of  others 
who  want  strength  and  wisdom  ;  and  he  will  undertake  the 
shepherd's  office,  though  shrinking  with  fear  and  trembling 
from  its  responsibilities,  and  though  conscious  also  that  in  so 
doing  he  is  consenting  to  have  his  liberty  and  independence 
greatly  circumscribed.  The  yoke  of  love  which  binds  us  to 
our  fellows  is  sometimes  not  easy,  and  the  burden  of  caring  for 
them  not  light ;  but,  on  the  whole,  it  is  better  and  nobler  to 
be  a  drudge  and  a  slave  at  the  bidding  of  love,  than  to  be 
a  free  man  through  the  emancipating  power  of  selfishness. 
Better  Peter  a  prisoner  and  martyr  for  the  gospel,  than  Simon 
inculcating  on  his  Lord  the  selfish  policy,  "  Save  Thyself," 
or  lying  in  luxurious  ease  on  the  hill  of  Transfiguration,  ex- 
claiming, "  Lord,  it  is  good  to  be  here."     Better  Peter  bound 

'  It  is  a  fair  question  whether  our  venerable  Confession  is  not  too  minute  and  strin- 
gent, a  sort  of  double  bridle,  even  for  ministers  ;  and  whether  subscription  should  be 
required  at  all  for  lay  elders,  who  do  not  teach,  want  the  professional  knowledge  neces- 
sary to  intelligent  subscription  to  all  details,  and  are  as  amenable  to  discipline  for  belief 
as  for  cnvilurt  without  subscription.  No  man  signs  an  obligation  to  keep  the  ten  com- 
mandments in  order  to  be  subject  to  discipline  for  immorality. 


The  Under- Shepherds  AdmoTiished.  523 

by  others,  and  led  whither  he  would  not,  as  a  good  shepherd 
to  be  sacrificed  for  the  sheep,  than  Simon  girding  on  his  own 
garment,  and  walking  along  with  the  careless  jaunty  air  of  a 
raod&rn  pococitj'antist.  A  life  on  the  ocean  wave,  a  life  in  the 
woods,  a  life  in  the  mountains  or  in  the  clouds,  may  be  fine 
to  dream  and  sing  of ;  but  the  only  life  out  of  which  genuine 
heroism  and  poetry  comes,  is  that  which  is  spent  on  this 
solid  prosaic  earth  in  the  lowly  work  of  doing  good. 

Note  now,  finally,  the  evidence  supplied  in  Peter's  answers 
to  his  Lord's  questions,  that  he  is  indeed  fitted  for  the 
responsible  work  to  which  he  is  summoned.  It  is  not  merely 
that  he  can  appeal  to  Jesus  Himself,  as  one  who  knows  all 
things,  and  say,  "  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee ;  "  for,  as 
we  have  already  hinted,  every  sincere  disciple  can  do  that. 
Two  specific  signs  of  spiritual  maturity  are  discernible  here, 
not  to  be  found  in  those  who  are  weak  in  grace,  not  pre- 
viously found  in  Peter  himself.  There  is,  first,  marked 
modesty, — very  noticeable  in  so  forward  a  man.  Peter 
does  not  now  make  any  comparisons  between  himself  and 
his  brethren  as  he  had  done  previously.  In  spite  of  appear- 
ances, he  still  protests  that  he  does  love  Jesus ;  but  he  takes 
care  not  to  say,  "  I  love  Thee  more  than  those."  He  not 
only  does  not  say  this,  but  he  manifestly  does  not  think  it : 
the  bragging  spirit  has  left  him  ;  he  is  a  humble,  subdued, 
wise  man,  spiritually  equipped  for  the  pastorate,  just  because 
he  has  ceased  to  think  himself  supremely  competent  for  it. 

The  second  mark  of  maturity  discernible  in  Peter's  replies 
is  godly  sorrow  for  past  shortcoming  :  "  Peter  was  grieved 
because  He  (Jesus)  said  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest 
thou  me  .'' "  He  was  grieved  because  by  the  threefold 
interrogation  he  was  reminded  that  the  threefold  denial  of 
which  he  had  been  guilty  afforded  ground  for  calling  his  love 
in  question.  Observe  particularly  the  feeling  produced  by 
this  delicate  reference  to  his  former  sins.  It  was  grief,  not 
irritation,  anger,  or  shame.  There  is  no  pride,  passion, 
vanity  in  this  man's  soul,  but  only  holy,  meek  contrition  ;  no 
sudden  coloring  is  observable  in  his  countenance,  but  only 
the  gracious  softened  expression  of  a  penitent,  chastised 
spirit.  The  man  who  can  so  take  allusions  to  his  sins  is  not 
only  fit  to  tend  the  sheep,  but  even  to  nurse  the  lambs.     He 


524  TJie  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

will  restore  those  who  have  fallen  in  a  spirit  of  meekness. 
He  will  be  tender  towards  offenders,  not  with  the  spurious 
charity  which  cannot  afford  to  condemn  sin  strongly,  but 
with  the  genuine  charity  of  one  who  has  himself  received 
mercy  for  sins  sincerely  repented  of.  By  his  benignant 
sympathy  sinners  will  be  converted  unto  God  in  unfeigned 
sorrow  for  their  offences,  and  in  humble  hope  of  pardon ; 
and  by  his  watchful  care  many  sheep  will  be  kept  from  ever 
straying  from  the  fold. 

Section  II.  —  Pastor  Pastorum. 

John  xxi.   19-22. 

To  be  a  dutiful  under-shepherd  is,  in  another  view,  to  be 
a  faithful  sheep,  following  the  Chief  Shepherd  whithersoever 
He  goes.  Pastors  are  not  lords  over  God's  heritage,  but 
mere  servants  of  Christ,  the  great  Head  of  the  Church, 
bound  to  regard  His  will  as  their  law,  and  His  life  as  their 
model.  In  the  scene  by  the  lake  Jesus  took  pains  to  make 
His  disciples  understand  this.  He  did  not  allow  them  to 
suppose  that,  in  committing  to  their  pastoral  charge  His 
flock,  He  was  abdicating  His  position  as  Shepherd  and 
Bishop  of  souls.  Having  said  to  Peter,  "  Feed  my  lambs," 
"  Feed  my  sheep,"  He  said  to  him,  as  His  final  word, 
"  Follow  me." 

It  is  implied  in  the  narrative,  that  while  Jesus  said  this, 
He  arose  and  walked  away  from  the  spot  where  the  disciples 
had  just  taken  their  morning  meal.  Whither  He  went  we 
are  not  told,  but  it  may  have  been  towards  that  "  mountain 
in  Galilee,"  the  preappointed  rendezvous  where  the  risen 
Saviour  met  "above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once."  The 
sheep  have  doubtless  been  wending  thither  to  meet  their 
divine  Shepherd,  as  in  a  secluded  upland  fold  ;  and  it  is  more 
than  possible  that  the  object  of  the  journey  in  which  Peter 
is  invited  to  join  his  Master,  is  to  introduce  him  to  the 
flock  which  had  just  been  committed  to  his  care. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  Peter  obeyed  the  summons,  and  rose  at 
once  to  follow  Jesus.  His  first  impression  probably  was 
that  he  was  to  be  the  solitary  attendant  of  his  Lord,  and  a 
natural  wish  to  ascertain  the  state  of  the  case  led  him  to 


The  Under- Shepherds  Admonished.  525 

look  behind  to  see  what  his  companions  were  doing.  On 
turning  round,  he  observed  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved, 
and  whom  he  too  loved,  following  close  in  his  footsteps  ;  and 
the  question  forthwith  rose  to  his  lips,  "  Lord,  and  what  of 
this  man  ?  "  The  question  was  elliptical,  but  it  meant :  John 
is  coming  after  us  ;  Is  the  same  lot  in  store  for  him  that  you 
have  prophesied  for  me  ?  Shall  he  too  be  bound  and  led 
whither  he  would  not ;  or  shall  he,  as  the  disciple  most 
dearly  beloved,  be  exempted  from  the  hardships  I  am  fated 
to  endure  ? 

That  another  and  a  happier  fortune  was  reserved  for  John 
seemed,  we  believe,  probable  to  Peter.  He  could  not  but 
recall  to  mind  that  memorable  scene  in  which  John's  mother 
made  her  ambitious  request  for  her  two  sons  ;  and  in  spite 
of  what  Jesus  had  said  to  them  about  tasting  of  His  cup, 
and  being  baptized  with  His  baptism,  he,  Peter,  might  well 
imagine  that  John's  desire  would  be  fulfilled,  and  that  he 
would  live  to  see  the  kingdom  come,  and  to  share  its  glories  ; 
especially  as  one  and  all  of  the  disciples,  down  to  the  very 
last  day  of  their  Lord's  sojourn  on  earth,  still  expected  the 
kingdom  to  be  restored  to  Israel  very  soon.  If  such  was 
Peter's  thought,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  should  ask,  if 
not  with  envy,  at  least  with  a  sadder  sense  of  his  own  loss, 
"  Lord,  what  of  this  man  .-* "  Adversity  is  hard  to  bear  at 
best,  but  hardest  of  all  when  personal  ill-fortune  stands  in 
glaring  contrast  with  the  prosperity  of  a  brother  who  started 
on  his  career  at  the  same  time,  and  with  no  better  prospects 
than  the  man  whom  he  has  far  outstripped  in  the  race. 

To  such  considerations,  however,  Jesus  paid  little  respect 
in  His  reply  to  Peter's  question.  "  If  I  will,"  He  said, 
"that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee .-'  Follow 
thou  me."  "How  stern  and  unfeeling!  "  one  is  tempted  to 
exclaim.  Might  not  Jesus  at  least  have  reminded  Simon, 
for  his  comfort,  of  the  words  He  once  uttered  to  James  and 
John:  "Ye  shall  drink  of  my  cup "  .-*  Would  it  not  have 
helped  Peter  more  cheerfully  to  follow  his  Master  in  the 
arduous  path  of  the  cross,  to  have  told  him  that,  in  whatever 
manner  John  might  die,  he  too  would  have  to  suffer  for  the 
gospel ;  that  his  life,  whether  long  or  short,  would  be  full 
of  tribulation ;  that  participation  in  the  glory  of   the  king- 


526  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

dom  did  not  depend  on  longevity  ;  that,  in  fact,  the  first  to 
die  would  be  the  first  to  enter  into  glory  ?  But  no,  it  might 
not  be.  To  administer  such  comfort  would  have  been  to 
indulge  the  disciple's  weakness.  One  who  has  to  play  a 
soldier's  part  must  be  trained  with  military  rigor.  Effemi- 
nacy, sighing  after  happiness,  brooding  over  the  felicity  we 
have  missed,  are  out  of  place  in  an  apostle's  character ;  and 
Jesus,  to  whom  such  dispositions  are  most  abhorrent,  will 
take  good  care  not  to  give  them  any  countenance.  He  will 
have  all  His  followers,  and  specially  the  heads  of  His  people, 
to  be  heroes,  —  "  Ironsides,"  prompt  to  do  bidding,  fearless 
of  danger,  patient  of  fatigue,  without  a  trace  of  selfish  soft- 
ness. He  will  give  no  quarter  even  to  natural  weaknesses, 
disregards  present  pain,  cares  not  how  we  smart  under 
rebuke,  provided  only  He  gain  His  end,  —  the  production  of 
character  temptation-proof. 

Having  this  end  in  view,  Jesus  took  no  trouble  to  correct 
Peter's  misapprehensions  about  his  brother  disciple.  Mis- 
apprehensions, we  say,  for  such  they  indeed  were.  John 
did  not  tarry  till  the  Lord  came  in  the  sense  in  which  Peter 
understood  the  words.  He  lived,  indeed,  till  the  close  of 
the  first  Christian  century,  therefore  long  after  the  Lord's 
coming  to  execute  judgment  on  Jerusalem.  But  except  for 
the  longevity  he  enjoyed,  the  last  of  the  apostles  was  in  no 
respect  to  be  envied.  The  Church  was  militant  all  his  days : 
he  took  part  in  many  of  its  battles,  and  received  therein 
many  scars.  Companion  with  Peter  in  the  Church's  first 
conflict  with  the  world,  he  was  a  prisoner  in  Patmos  for  the 
word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  after 
Peter  had  fallen  asleep.  One  might  perhaps  say  that,  owing 
to  temperament,  the  life  of  John  was  less  stirring  than  that 
of  his  brother  apostle.  He  was  a  man  of  less  impetuosity, 
though  not  of  less  intensity ;  and  there  was,  perhaps,  not 
so  much  in  his  character  provocative  of  the  world's  opposi- 
tion. Both  by  his  virtues  and  by  his  infirmities  Peter  was 
predestined  to  be  the  champion  of  the  faith,  the  Luther  of 
the  apostolic  age,  giving  and  receiving  the  hardest  blows, 
and  bearing  the  brunt  of  the  battle.  John,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  the  Melanchthon  among  the  apostles,  without, 
however,  Melanchthon's    tendency  to   yield ;   and    as    such, 


The  Under- Shepherds  Admonished.  527 

enjoyed  probably  a  quieter,  and,  on  the  whole,  more  peaceful 
life.  But  this  difference  between  the  two  men  was,  after 
all,  quite  subordinate  ;  and,  all  things  considered,  we  may 
say  that  John  drank  not  less  deeply  of  Christ's  cup  than  did 
Peter.  There  was  nothing  glorious  or  enviable  in  his  lot  on 
earth,  except  the  vision  in  Patmos  of  the  glory  yet  to  be 
revealed. 

Yet  while  all  this  was  clear  to  His  prescient  eye,  Jesus 
did  not  condescend  to  give  any  explanations  concerning  the 
appointed  lot  of  the  beloved  disciple,  but  allowed  Peter  to 
think  what  he  pleased  about  the  future  of  his  friend.  "  If 
I  will,"  He  said,  "that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to 
thee .'' "  not  meaning  to  give  any  information,  as  contem- 
porary believers  imagined,  but  rather  refusing  to  give  any 
in  the  bluntest  and  most  peremptory  manner.  "  Suppose  " 
—  such  is  the  import  of  the  words  —  "Suppose  it  were  my 
pleasure  that  John  should  remain  on  the  earth  till  I  return 
to  it,  what  is  that  to  thee .-'  Suppose  I  were  to  grant  him  to 
sit  on  my  right  hand  in  my  Messianic  kingdom,  what,  I  ask 
again,  is  that  to  thee  .-*  Suppose  John  were  not  to  taste  of 
death,  but,  surviving  till  my  second  advent,  were,  like  another 
Elijah,  to  be  wafted  directly  into  heaven,  or  to  be  endowed 
in  his  body  with  the  power  of  an  endless  life,  still  what  is 
that  to  thee  }     Follow  thou  me." 

The  emphatic  repetition  of  this  injunction  is  very  signifi- 
cant. It  shows,  for  one  thing,  that  when  Jesus  said  to  Peter, 
"Feed  my  sheep,"  He  had  no  intention  of  making  him  a 
pastor  of  pastors,  a  shepherd  or  bishop  over  his  fellow- 
disciples.  In  Roman  Catholic  theology  the  lambs  are  the 
lay  members  of  the  church,  and  the  sheep  are  the  under- 
shepherds  —  the  whole  body  of  the  clergy,  the  Pope  excepted. 
How  strange,  if  this  be  true,  that  Peter  should  be  checked 
for  looking  after  one  of  the  flock,  and  asking  so  simple  a 
question  as  that,  "  Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do .-' " 
Jesus  replies  to  him  as  if  he  were  a  busybody,  meddling  with 
matters  with  which  he  had  no  concern.  And,  indeed,  busy- 
bodyism  was  one  of  Peter's  faults.  He  was  fond  of  looking 
after  and  managing  other  people  ;  he  tried  once  and  again  to 
manage  the  Lord  Himself.  Curiously  enough,  it  is  from  this 
apostle  that  the  Church  gets  the  needful  warning  against  the 


528  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

too  common  vice  just  named.  "Let  none  of  you,"  he  writes 
in  his  first  epistle,  "  suffer  as  a  murderer,  or  as  a  thief,  or  as 
an  evil-doer,  or  as  a  busybody  in  other  men's  matters ;  "  liter- 
ally, as  a  bishop  intruding  into  another's  diocese.'  Evidently 
the  frequent  rebukes  administered  to  Peter  by  his  Master 
had  made  a  lasting  impression  on  him. 

Heavy  as  was  the  load  of  responsibility  laid  upon  this  dis- 
ciple at  this  time,  it  did  not  amount  to  any  thing  so  formid- 
able as  that  involved  in  being  a  visible  Christ,  so  to  speak, 
to  the  whole  Church.  Neither  Peter  nor  any  other  man  is 
able  to  bear  that  burden,  and  happily  no  one  is  required  to 
do  so.  The  responsibility  of  even  the  highest  in  the  Church 
is  restricted  within  comparatively  narrow  limits.  The  main 
business,  even  of  the  chief  under-shepherds,  is  not  to  make 
others  follow  Christ,  but  to  follow  Him  themselves.  It  is 
well  that  our  Lord  made  this  plain  by  the  words  addressed 
to  the  representative  man  among  the  apostles  ;  for  Christians 
of  active,  energetic,  and  earnest  natures  are  very  apt  to  have 
very  exaggerated  ideas  of  their  responsibilities,  and  to  take 
on  themselves  the  care  of  the  whole  world,  and  impose  on 
themselves  the  duty  of  remedying  every  evil  that  is  done 
under  the  sun.  They  would  be  defenders-general  of  the  faith 
wherever  assailed,  redressers-general  of  all  wrongs,  curates- 
general  of  all  souls.  There  is  something  noble  as  well  as 
quixotic  in  this  temper ;  and  it  were  not  the  best  sign  of  a 
man's  moral  earnestness  if  he  had  not  at  some  time  of  his 
life  known  somewhat  of  this  fussy,  over-zealous  spirit.  Still 
it  should  be  understood  that  the  Head  of  the  Church  imposes 
on  no  man  such  unlimited  responsibility,  and  that,  when  self- 
imposed,  it  does  not  conduce  to  a  man's  real  usefulness.  No 
one  man  can  do  all  other  men's  work,  and  no  one  man  is 
responsible  for  all  other  men's  errors  and  failures ;  and  each 
man  contributes  most  effectually  and  surely  to  the  good  of 
the  whole  by  conducting  his  own  life  on  godly  principles. 
The  world  is  full  of  evils  —  scepticism,  superstition,  igno- 
rance, immorality,  on  every  side — a  sight  saddening  in 
the  extreme.  What,  then,  am  I  to  do } "  This  one  thing 
above  all  :  Follow  thou  Christ.  Be  thou  a  believer,  let  who 
will  be  infidels.     Let  thy  religion  be  reasonable,  let  who  will 

*  I  Pet.  iv.  15  :  aKKoTptosTncKonos  is  the  Greek  word. 


The   Under- Shepherds  Admonished.  529 

pin  their  faith  to  a  fallible  human  authority,  and  place  their 
religion  in  fantastic  ritualisms  and  gross  idolatries.  Be  thou 
holy,  an  example  of  sobriety,  justice,  and  godliness,  though 
all  the  world  should  become  a  sweltering  chaos  of  impurity, 
fraud,  and  impiety.  Say  with  Joshua  of  old,  "  If  it  seem  good 
unto  you  to  serve  the  Lord,  choose  you  this  day  whom  ye  will 
serve ;  but  as  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord." 

The  repeated  injunction,  "  Follow  thou  me,"  whilst  restrict- 
ing individual  responsibility,  prescribes  undivided  attention 
to  personal  duty.  Christ  demands  of  His  disciples  that  they 
follow  Him  with  integrity  of  heart,  without  distraction, 
without  murmuring,  envy,  or  calculations  of  consequences. 
Peter  was,  it  is  to  be  feared,  not  yet  up  to  the  mark  in  this 
respect.  There  was  yet  lingering  in  his  heart  a  vulgar  han- 
kering after  happiness  as  the  chief  end  of  man.  Exemption 
from  the  cross  still  appeared  to  him  supremely  desirable,  and 
he  probably  fancied  that  special  favor  on  Christ's  part 
towards  a  particular  disciple  would  show  itself  in  granting 
such  exemption.  He  did  not  yet  understand  that  Christ 
oftenest  shows  special  favor  to  His  followers  by  making 
them  in  a  remarkable  degree  partakers  of  His  bitter  cup 
and  His  bloody  baptism.  The  grand  enthusiasm  of  Paul, 
which  made  him  desire  to  know  Jesus  in  the  fellowship  of 
His  sufferings,  had  not  yet  taken  possession  of  Simon's 
breast.  When  an  arduous  and  perilous  piece  of  service  was 
to  be  done,  those  who  were  selected  to  be  the  forlorn  hope 
seemed  to  him  objects  of  pity  rather  than  of  envy.  Far  from 
volunteering  for  such  a  service,  he  would  rather  congratu- 
late himself  on  having  escaped  it ;  and  the  highest  conceiv- 
able virtue,  in  case  one  were  so  unlucky  as  not  to  escape, 
would,  in  his  opinion,  be  submission  to  the  inevitable. 

Peter  was  deficient  also  as  yet  in  the  military  virtue  of 
unquestionmg  obedience  to  orders,  which  is  the  secret  of  an 
army's  strength.  A  general  says  to  one.  Go,  and  he  goeth  ; 
to  another.  Come,  and  he  cometh  :  he  appoints  to  one  corps 
■  its  station  here,  and  to  another  its  station  there  ;  and  no  one 
ventures  to  ask  why,  or  to  make  envious  comparisons.  There 
is  an  absolute  surrender  of  the  individual  will  to  the  will  of 
the  commander  ;  and  so  far  as  thoughts  of  preference  are 
concerned,  each  man  is  a  machine,  having  a  will,  a  head,  a 


530  The   Training  of  the  Twelve. 

hand,  a  heart,  only  for  the  effective  performance  of  his  own 
appointed  task.  Peter  had  not  yet  attained  to  this  pitch  of 
self-abnegation.  He  could  not  do  simply  what  he  was 
bidden,  but  must  needs  look  round  to  see  what  another  was 
doing.  Nor  let  us  think  this  a  small  offence  in  him.  It 
was  a  breach  of  discipline  which  could  not  be  overlooked  by 
the  Commander  of  the  faithful.  Implicit  obedience  is  as 
necessary  in  the  Church  as  it  is  in  the  army.  The  old  sol- 
dier Loyola  understood  this,  and  hence  he  introduced  a 
system  of  military  discipline  into  the  constitution  of  the  so- 
called  "  Society  of  Jesus."  And  the  history  of  that  society 
shows  the  wisdom  of  the  founder ;  for  whatever  we  may 
think  of  the  quality  of  the  work  done,  we  cannot  deny  the 
energy  of  the  Jesuitic  fraternity,  or  the  devotion  of  its 
members.  Such  devotion  as  the  Jesuit  renders  to  the  will 
of  his  spiritual  superior  Christ  demands  of  all  His  people  ; 
and  to  none  except  Himself  can  it  be  rendered  without 
impiety.  He  would  have  every  believer  give  himself  up  to 
His  will  in  cheerful,  exact,  habitual  obedience,  deeming  all  His 
orders  wise,  all  His  arrangements  good,  acknowledging  His 
right  to  dispose  of  us  as  He  pleases,  content  to  serve  Him  in  a 
little  place  or  in  a  large  one,  by  doing  or  by  suffering,  for  a  long 
period  or  a  short,  in  life  or  by  death,  if  only  He  be  glorified. 
This  is  our  duty,  and  it  is  also  our  blessedness.  So 
minded,  we  shall  be  delivered  from  all  care  of  consequences, 
from  ambitious  views  of  our  responsibilities,  from  imaginary 
grievances,  from  envy,  fretfulness,  and  the  restlessness  of 
self-will.  We  shall  no  longer  be  distracted  or  tormented 
with  incessant  looking  round  to  see  what  is  become  of  this 
or  that  fellow-disciple,  but  be  able  to  go  on  with  our  own 
work  in  composure  and  peace.  We  shall  not  trouble  our- 
selves either  about  our  own  future  or  about  that  of  any  other 
person,  but  shall  healthily  and  happily  live  in  the  present. 
We  shall  get  rid  for  ever  of  fear,  and  care,  and  scheming, 
and  disappointment,  and  chagrin,  and,  like  larks  at  heaven's 
gate,  sing :  — 

"  Father,  I  know  that  all  my  life 

Is  portioned  out  by  Thee, 
And  the  changes  that  will  surely  come 

I  do  not  fear  to  see  ; 
But  I  ask  Thee  for  a  present  mind, 

Intent  on  servins:  Thee. 


The  Under- Shepherds  Admonished.  531 

I  would  not  have  the  restless  will 

That  hurries  to  and  fro, 
Seeking  for  some  great  thing  to  do, 

Or  secret  thing  to  know  ; 
I  would  be  treated  as  a  child, 

And  guided  where  I  go." 

Thus,  brother,  "go  thou  thy  way  till  the  end  be;"  and  "thou 
shalt  rest,  and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the  days." 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

POWER    FROM    ON    HIGH. 
Matt,  xxviii.  18-20;  Mark  xvi.  15;  Luke  xxiv,  47-53;  Acts  i.  1-8. 

From  Galilee  the  disciples,  of  their  own  accord  or  by  direc- 
tion, found  their  way  back  to  Jerusalem,  where  their  risen 
Lord  showed  Himself  to  them  once  more,  and  for  the  last 
time,  to  give  them  their  final  instructions,  and  to  bid  them 
farewell. 

Of  this  last  meeting  no  distinct  notice  is  taken  in  the 
Gospels.  Each  of  the  synoptical  evangelists,  however,  has 
preserved  some  of  the  last  words  spoken  by  Jesus  to  His 
disciples  ere  He  ascended  to  heaven.  Among  these  we 
reckon  the  closing  verses  of  Matthew's  Gospel,  where  we 
read:  "All  authority  hath  been  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all 
nations,  baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ;  teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you  :  and, 
lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  ' 
Of  this  last  word  Mark  gives,  in  the  close  of  his  Gospel,  an 
abbreviated  version,  in  these  terms  :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation."  ^  In  Luke's 
narrative  the  words  spoken  by  Jesus  on  the  occasion  of  His 
final  appearance  to  the  eleven  are  so  interwoven  with  those 
which  He  spoke  to  them  on  the  evening  of  His  resurrection 
day,  that,  but  for  the  supplementary  and  more  circumstantial 
account  given  by  the  same  author  in  the  Book  of  the  Acts, 
we  should  never  have  thought  of  making  a  distinction,  far 

•  Matt,  xxviii.  18-20. 

*  Mark  xvi.  15.  So  in  R.  V.  the  rendering  in  A.  V.  "  to  every  creature"  answers  to 
wao-jj  KTiVet,  without  the  article.  We  do  not  here  enter  into  the  question  of  the 
autlienticity  of  Mark  xvi.  9-20. 

532 


Power  from  on  High.  533 

less  have  known  where  to  place  the  boundary  line.  On 
comparing  the  two  accounts,  however,  we  can  see  that  words 
spoken  at  two  different  times  are  construed  together  into 
one  continuous  discourse  ;  and  we  have  no  great  difficulty 
in  determining  what  belongs  to  the  first  appearance  and 
what  to  the  last.  According  to  the  Book  of  Acts,  Jesus,  in 
His  last  conversation  with  His  disciples,  spoke  to  them  of 
their  apostolic  duties  as  witnesses  unto  Himself  and  preachers 
of  His  gospel  ;  of  the  promise  of  the  Spirit,  whose  descent 
was  to  fit  them  for  their  work  ;  and  of  what  they  should  do 
till  the  promise  should  be  fulfilled.  Now  these  are  just  the 
topics  adverted  to  in  the  verses  cited  from  the  last  chapter 
of  Luke's  Gospel.  There  is  first  the  apostolic  commission 
to  preach  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  a 
virtual  injunction  laid  on  the  disciples  to  be  faithful  wit- 
nesses to  all  things  they  had  seen  and  heard  in  their  Lord's 
company,  and  especially  to  His  resurrection  from  the  dead. 
Then  there  is  the  renewal  of  this  promise,  here  called  the 
"promise  of  my  Father."  Then,  finally,  there  is  the  direc- 
tion to  wait  for  the  promised  blessing  in  the  holy  city:  "  But 
tarry  ye  at  Jerusalem  until  ye  be  clothed  with  power  from 
on  high." 

All  these  sayings  bear  internal  evidence  of  being  last 
words,  from  their  fitness  to  the  situation.  It  was  natural  and 
needful  that  Jesus  should  thus  speak  to  His  chosen  agents 
at  the  hour  of  His  final  departure,  giving  them  instructions 
for  their  guidance  in  their  future  apostolic  labors,  and  in 
the  short  interval  that  was  to  elapse  before  those  labors 
began.  Even  the  business-like  brevity  and  matter-of-fact 
tone  of  these  last  words  betray  the  occasion  on  which  they 
were  uttered.  On  first  thoughts,  we  should  perhaps  have 
expected  a  more  pathetic  style  of  address  in  connection 
with  a  farewell  meeting ;  but,  on  reflection,  we  perceive 
that  every  thing  savoring  of  sentimentality  would  have  been 
beneath  the  dignity  of  the  situation.  In  the  farewell 
address  before  the  passion,  pathos  was  in  place ;  but  in  the 
farewell  words  before  the  ascension,  it  would  have  been 
misplaced.  In  the  former  case,  Jesus  was  a  parent  speaking 
His  last  words  of  counsel  and    comfort   to    His    sorrowing 


534  ^^  Training  of  the  Twelve, 

children ;  in  the  latter,  He  was  "  as  a  man  taking  a  far 
journey,  who  left  his  house,  and  gave  authority  to  his  ser- 
vants, and  to  every  man  his  work,  and  commanded  the 
porter  to  watch ;  "  '  and  His  manner  of  speech  was  adapted 
to  the  character  He  sustained. 

And  yet  the  tone  adopted  by  Jesus  in  His  last  interview 
with  the  eleven  was  not  purely  magisterial.  The  Friend  was 
not  altoofether  lost  in  the  Master.  He  had  kind  words  as  well 
as  commands  for  His  servants.  What  could  be  kinder  and 
more  encouraging  than  that  word  :  "  And,  lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world  "  .''  And  is  there  not  an 
accent  of  friendship  in  that  utterance,  in  which  Jesus,  now 
about  to  ascend  to  glory,  seems  by  anticipation  to  resume 
the  robe  of  divine  majesty,  which  He  laid  aside  when  He 
became  man :  "  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and 
in  earth " }  Why  does  He  say  that  now }  Not  for  the 
purpose  of  self-exaltation  ;  not  to  put  a  distance  between 
Himself  and  His  quondam  companions,  and,  as  it  were, 
degrade  them  from  the  position  of  friends  to  that  of  mere 
servants.  No  ;  but  to  cheer  them  on  their  way  through  the 
world  as  the  messengers  of  the  kingdom  ;  to  make  them  feel 
that  the  task  assigned  them  was  not,  as  it  might  well  seem, 
an  impossible  one.  "  I  have  all  power,"  saith  He  in  effect, 
"in  heaven,  and  jurisdiction  over  all  the  earth  :  go  ye  there- 
fore ^  into  all  the  world,  making  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
nothing  doubting  that  all  spiritual  influences  and  all  provi- 
dential agencies  will  be  made  subservient  to  the  great  errand 
on  which  I  send  you." 

Jesus  had  kind  actions  as  well  as  kind  words  for  His 
friends  at  parting.  There  was  indeed  no  farewell  kiss,  or 
shaking  of  hands,  or  other  symbolic  act  in  use  among  men 
who  bid  each  other  adieu  ;  but  the  manner  of  the  ascension 
was  most  gracious  and  benignant  towards  those  whom  the 
ascending  One  left  behind.  Jesus  moved  upwards  as  if 
lifted  from  the  earth  by  some  celestial  attraction,  with  His 
face  looking  downwards  upon  His  beloved  companions,  and 
with  His  hand  stretched  out  in  an  attitude  of  benediction. 
Hence  the  eleven  grieved  not  for  their  Lord's  disappearance, 

*  Mark  xiii.  34. 

^  Qvv  is  a  disputed  reading,  but  the  idea  it  expresses  is  implied  in  the  connection. 


Power  from  on  High.  535 

They  marvelled  indeed,  and  gazed  eagerly  and  wonderingly 
towards  the  skies,  as  if  trying  to  penetrate  the  cloud  which 
received  their  Master's  person  ;  but  the  parting  left  no  sad- 
ness behind.  They  bowed  their  heads  in  worship  towards 
the  ascended  Christ,  and  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great 
joy,  as  if  they  had  gained,  not  lost  a  friend,  and  as  if  the 
ascension  were  not  a  sunset,  but  a  sunrise  —  as  indeed  it  was, 
not  for  them  alone,  but  for  the  whole  world. 

Of  that  miraculous  event,  by  which  our  High  Priest  passed 
within  the  veil  into  the  celestial  sanctuary,  we  may  not 
speak.  Like  the  transfiguration,  it  is  a  topic  on  which  we 
know  not  what  to  say  ;  an  event  not  to  be  explained,  but  to 
be  devoutly  and  joyfully  believed,  in  company  with  the 
kindred  truth  declared  by  the  two  men  in  white  apparel  to 
the  disciples,  who  said  :  "  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye 
gazing  into  heaven  .-•  This  same  Jesus,  which  was  taken  up 
from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as  ye 
have  seen  Him  go  into  heaven."  '  Wherefore  we  pass  from 
the  ascension  to  make  some  observations  on  the  great  com- 
mission given  by  the  Lord  to  His  apostles  for  the  last  time, 
just  before  He  was  taken  up  into  glory. 

That  commission  was  worthy  of  Him  from  whom  it 
emanated,  whether  we  regard  Him  as  Son  of  God  or  as  Son 
of  man.  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  the  whole  creation."  Surely  this  is  the  language  of  a 
Divine  Being.  What  mere  man  ever  entertained  a  plan  of 
beneficence  embracing  the  whole  human  race  within  its 
scope  .-•  and  whq  but  one  possessing  all  power  in  heaven  and 
on  earth  could  dare  to  hope  for  success  in  so  gigantic  an 
undertaking .-'  Then  how  full  of  grace  and  love  the  matter 
of  the  commission  !  The  errand  on  which  Jesus  sends  His 
apostles  is  to  preach  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  in 
His  name,  and  to  make  a  peaceful  conquest  of  the  world  to 
God  by  the  word  of  reconciliation  through  His  death.  Such 
philanthropy  approves  itself  to  be  at  once  divine  and  most 
intensely  human.  And  mark,  as  specially  characteristic  of 
the  gracious  One,  the  direction,  "  beginning  at  Jerusalem." 
The  words  indicate  a  plan  of  operations  adapted  at  once  to 
the  circumstances  of  the  world,  and  to  the  capacities  and 

'  Acts  i.  1 1. 


536  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

idiosyncrasies  of  the  agents  ;  but  they  do  more.  They  open 
a  window  into  the  heart  of  Jesus,  and  show  Him  to  be  the 
same  who  prayed  on  the  cross  :  "  Father,  forgive  them  ;  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do."  Why  begin  at  Jerusalem } 
Because  "Jerusalem  sinners"  most  need  to  repent  and  to  be 
forgiven  ;  and  because  Jesus  would  show  forth  in  them  at 
the  outset  the  full  extent  of  His  long-suffering,  for  a  pattern 
to  them  who  should  afterwards  believe,  in  Samaria,  Antioch, 
and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 

It  was  in  every  way  a  commission  worthy  of  Jesus,  as  the 
Son  of  God  and  Saviour  of  sinners,  to  give.  But  what  a 
commission  for  poor  Galilean  fishermen  to  receive!  what 
a  burden  of  responsibility  to  lay  upon  the  shoulders  of  any 
poor  mortal !  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  .''  Jesus 
knew  the  insufficiency  of  His  instruments.  Therefore, 
having  invested  them  with  official  authority.  He  proceeded 
to  speak  of  an  investment  with  another  kind  of  power,  with- 
out which  the  official  must  needs  be  utterly  ineffectual. 
"And,  behold,"  He  said,  "I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father 
upon  you ;  but  tarry  ye  at  Jerusalem  till  ye  be  clothed  with 
power  from  on  high." 

"  Power  from  on  high  : "  the  expression  has  a  mystical 
sound,  and  its  sense  seems  difficult  to  define  ;  yet  the  general 
meaning  is  surely  plain  enough.  The  thing  signified  is  not 
altogether  or  chiefly  a  power  to  work  miracles,  but  just  what 
Jesus  had  spoken  of  at  such  length  in  His  farewell  address 
before  His  death.  "Power  from  on  high"  means  :  All  that 
the  apostles  were  to  gain  from  the  mission  of  the  Comforter 
—  enlightenment  of  mind,  enlargement  of  heart,  sanctifica- 
tion  of  their  faculties,  and  transformation  of  their  characters, 
so  as  to  make  them  whetted  swords  and  polished  shafts  for 
subduing  the  world  unto  the  truth  ;  these,  or  the  effect  of 
these  combined,  constituted  the  power  for  which  Jesus 
directed  the  eleven  to  wait.  The  power,  therefore,  was  a 
spiritual  power,  not  a  magical ;  an  inspiration,  not  a  posses- 
sion ;  a  power  which  was  not  to  act  as  a  blind  fanatical 
force,  but  to  manifest  itself  as  a  spirit  of  love  and  of  a 
sound  mind.  After  the  power  descended,  the  apostles  were 
to  be  not  less  rational,  but  more ;  not  mad,  but  sober- 
minded  ;  not  excited  rhapsodists,  but  calm,  clear,  dignified 


Power  from  on  High.  537 

expositors  of  divine  truth,  such  as  they  appear  in  Luke's 
history  of  their  ministry.  In  a  word,  they  were  to  be  less 
like  their  past  selves  and  more  like  their  Master :  no  longer 
ignorant,  childish,  weak,  carnal,  but  initiated  into  the  mys- 
teries of  the  kingdom,  and  habitually  under  the  guidance  of 
the  Spirit  of  grace  and  holiness. 

Such  being  the  power  promised,  it  was  evidently  indispen- 
sable to  success.  Vain  were  official  titles  —  apostles,  evan- 
gelists, pastors,  teachers,  rulers  ;  vain  clerical  robes,  without 
this  garment  of  divine  power  to  clothe  the  souls  of  the 
eleven.  Vain  then,  and  equally  vain  now.  The  world  is  to 
be  evangelized,  not  by  men  invested  with  ecclesiastical  dig- 
nities and  with  parti-colored  garments,  but  by  men  who  have 
experienced  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  who  are 
visibly  endued  with  the  divine  power  of  wisdom,  and  love, 
and  zeal. 

As  the  promised  power  was  indispensable,  so  it  was  in  its 
nature  a  thing  simply  to  be  waited  for.  The  disciples  were 
directed  to  tarry  till  it  came.  They  were  neither  to  attempt 
to  do  without  it,  nor  were  they  to  try  to  get  it  up.  And  they 
were  wise  enough  to  follow  their  instructions.  They  fully 
understood  that  the  power  was  needful,  and  that  it  could 
not  be  got  up,  but  must  come  down.  All  are  not  equally 
wise.  Many  virtually  assume  that  the  power  Christ  spake 
of  can  be  dispensed  with,  and  that  in  fact  it  is  not  a  reality, 
but  a  chimera.  Others,  more  devout,  believe  in  the  power, 
but  not  in  man's  impotence  to  invest  himself  with  it.  They 
try  to  get  the  power  up  by  working  themselves  and  others 
into  a  frenzy  of  excitement.  Failure  sooner  or  later  con- 
vinces both  parties  of  their  mistake,  showing  the  one  that  to 
produce  spiritual  results  something  more  than  eloquence, 
intellect,  money,  and  organization  are  required ;  and  showing 
the  other  that  true  spiritual  power  cannot  be  produced,  like 
electric  sparks,  by  the  friction  of  excitement,  but  must  come 
sovereignly  and  graciously  down  from  on  high. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

WAITING. 
Acts  i.  12-14.' 

After  that  the  Lord  was  parted  from  them,  and  carried 
up  into  heaven,  the  eleven  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and  did 
as  they  had  been  commanded.  They  assembled  together  in 
an  upper  room  in  the  city,  and,  in  company  with  the  believ- 
ing women,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  His  kinsmen 
and  other  brethren,  amounting  in  all  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty,  waited  for  Power  and  for  Light  as  men  who  wait  for 
the  dawn ;  or  as  men  who  have  come  to  see  a  panorama  wait 
for  the  lifting  of  the  curtain  that  hides  from  view  scenes 
which  their  eyes  have  not  seen,  nor  their  ears  heard  of,  nor 
hath  it  entered  into  their  hearts  to  conceive.  These  verses 
from  the  first  chapter  of  the  "Acts"  show  us  the  disciples 
and  the  rest  in  the  act  of  so  waiting. 

How  solemn  is  the  situation  of  these  men  at  this  crisis  in 
their  history  !  They  are  about  to  undergo  a  spiritual  trans- 
formation ;  to  pass,  so  to  speak,  from  the  chrysalis  to  the 
winged  state.  They  are  on  the  eve  of  the  great  illumination 
promised  by  Jesus  before  His  death.  The  Spirit  of  Truth  is 
about  to  come  and  lead  them  into  all  Christian  truth.  The 
day-star  is  about  to  arise  in  their  hearts,  after  the  dreary, 
pitchy  night  of  mental  perplexity  and  despairing  sorrow 
through  which  they  have  recently  passed.  They  are  about 
to  be  endowed  with  power  of  utterance  and  of  character 
proportional  to  their  enlarged  comprehension  of  the  words 
and  work  of    Christ,   so  that   men   hearing  them   shall    be 

■  The  portions  of  the  evangelic  history  and  of  the  .A.cts  of  the  Apostles  referred  to 
in  this  chapter  contain  much  debatable  matter.  But  as  it  would  be  quite  unsuitable 
to  the  character  of  this  work  to  enter  into  disputed  questions  at  length,  we  give  our 
own  construction  of  events  without  reference  to  the  sceptical  views  of  many  modern 
critics. 

538 


Waiting.  539 

amazed,  and  say  one  to  another  :  "  Behold,  are  not  all  these 
which  speak  Galileans  ?  And  now  hear  we  every  man  in 
our  own  tongue  wherein  we  were  born  the  wonderful  works 
of  God."  '  With  a  dim  presentiment  of  what  is  coming, 
with  hearts  which  throb  and  swell  under  the  excitement 
of  expectation,  and  heaving  with  wondering  thoughts  of  the 
great  things  about  to  be  revealed,  they  sit  there  in  that 
upper  room  for  ten  long  days,  and  wait  for  the  promise  of 
the  Father.     Verily  it  is  an  impressive,  a  sublime  scene. 

But  how  do  they  wait  .-*  Do  they  sit  still  and  silent, 
Quaker  fashion,  all  that  time  expecting  the  descent  of  the 
Power }  No ;  the  meeting  in  the  upper  room  was  not  a 
Quaker  meeting.  They  prayed,  they  even  transacted  busi- 
ness ;  for  in  those  days  Peter  stood  up  and  proposed  the 
election  of  a  new  apostle  in  the  room  of  Judas,  gone  to  his 
own  place.  Nor  was  their  meeting  a  dull  one,  as  those  may 
imagine  who  have  never  passed  through  any  great  spiritual 
crisis,  and  to  whom  waiting  on  God  is  a  synonym  for  listless 
indolence.  The  hundred  and  twenty  believers  did  not,  we 
may  be  sure,  suffer  from  enmd.  Prayers  and  supplications 
alone  filled  up  many  blessed  hours.  For  to  men  in  the  situ- 
ation of  the  disciples  prayer  is  not  the  dull  "devotional" 
form  with  which  we  in  these  degenerate  days  are  too 
familiar.  It  is  rather  a  wrestling  with  God,  during  which 
hours  passed  unobserved,  and  the  day  breaks  before  one  is 
aware.  "These  all  continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer 
and  supplication."  They  prayed  without  fainting,  without 
wearying,  with  one  heart  and  mind. 

Besides  praying,  the  waiting  disciples  doubtless  spent  part 
of  their  time  in  reading  the  Scriptures.  This  is  not  stated; 
but  it  may  be  assumed  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  it  may  also 
be  inferred  from  the  manner  in  which  Peter  handled  Old 
Testament  texts  in  his  address  to  the  people  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  That  pentecostal  sermon  bears  marks  of  previ- 
ous preparation.  It  was  in  one  sense  an  extempore  effusion, 
under  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  in  another  it 
was  the  fruit  of  careful  study.  Peter  and  his  brethren  had, 
without  doubt,  reperused  all  those  passages  which  Jesus  had 
expounded  on  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  He  rose  from 

'  Acts  ii.  7-1 1. 


540  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

the  dead,  and  among  them  that  psalm  of  David,  whose 
words  the  apostle  quoted  in  his  first  gospel  sermon,  in  sup- 
port of  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  resurrection.  We  may  find 
evidence  of  the  minute,  careful  attention  bestowed  on  that 
and  other  Messianic  portions  of  Scripture  in  the  exactness 
with  which  the  quotation  is  given.  The  four  verses  of  the 
psalm  stand  word  for  word  in  Peter's  discourse  as  they  do  in 
the  original  text  —  a  fact  all  the  more  remarkable  that  New 
Testament  speakers  and  writers  do  not,  as  a  rule,  slavishly 
adhere  to  the  ipsissima  verba  in  their  Old  Testament 
citations,  but  quote  texts  somewhat  freely. 

The  spiritual  exercises  of  those  ten  days  would  be  further 
diversified  by  religious  conversation.  The  reading  of  Scrip- 
ture would  naturally  give  rise  to  comments  and  queries. 
The  brethren  who  had  been  privileged  to  hear  Jesus  ex- 
pound the  things  v/hich  were  written  in  the  law,  and  in 
the  prophets,  and  in  the  psalms  concerning  Himself,  on  the 
night  of  His  resurrection-day,  would  not  fail  to  give  their 
fellow-believers  the  benefit  of  instructions  through  which 
their  own  understandings  had  been  opened.  Peter,  who  was 
so  prompt  to  propose  the  election  of  a  new  witness  to  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus,  would  be  not  less  prompt  to  tell  the 
company  in  the  upper  room  what  the  risen  Jesus  had  said 
about  these  Old  Testament  texts.  He  would  freely  speak 
to  tJian  of  the  meaning  Jesus  taught  him  to  find  in  the  six- 
teenth Psalm,  just  as  he  took  the  liberty  of  doing  afterwards 
in  addressing  the  multitude  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem. 
When  that  psalm  had  been  read,  he  would  say  :  "  Men  and 
brethren,  thus  and  thus  did  the  Lord  Jesus  interpret  these 
words;"  just  as,  when  the  109th  Psalm  had  been  read,  he 
stood  up  and  said  :  "  Men  and  brethren,  this  scripture  must 
needs  have  been  fulfilled,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the 
mouth  of  David  spake  before  concerning  Judas  :  for  it  is 
written.  Let  his  habitation  be  desolate,  and  let  no  man  dwell 
therein  ;  and  his  bishopric  let  another  take.  Wherefore  "  — ■ 
let  us  choose  another  to  fill  his  place. 

Thus  did  the  brethren  occupy  themselves  during  these 
ten  days.  They  prayed,  they  read  the  Scriptures,  they  con- 
ferred together  on  what  they  read  and  on  what  they  expected 
to  see.     So  they  continued  waiting  with  one  accord  in  one 


Waiting.  541 

place  till  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  when  sud- 
denly there  came  a  sound  from  heaven  as  of  a  rushing 
mighty  wind,  filling  all  the  house  where  they  were  sitting ; 
and  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire, 
and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to 
speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance. 
Then  the  promise  was  fulfilled,  the  Power  had  come  down 
from  on  high,  in  a  manner  illustrating  the  words  of  the 
prophet  :  "  Since  the  beginning  of  the  world  men  have  not 
heard,  nor  perceived  by  the  ear,  neither  hath  the  eye  seen, 
O  God,  beside  Thee,  what  he  hath  prepared  for  him  that 
waiteth  for  him." 

The  events  of  Pentecost  were  the  answer  to  the  prayers 
offered  up  during  those  ten  days,  which  we  may  call  the 
incubation  period  of  the  Christian  Church.  And  that  the 
lesson  of  encouragement  to  be  learned  from  this  fact  may 
not  be  lost,  it  may  be  well  to  remember  that  the  prayers  of 
those  assembled  in  the  upper  room  were  not  essentially  dif- 
ferent from  the  prayers  of  saints  at  any  other  period  in  the 
Church's  history.  They  had  reference  to  much  the  same 
objects.  The  eleven  and  the  others  prayed  for  the  promised 
Power,  for  additional  light  on  the  meaning  of  Scripture,  for 
the  coming  of  the  divine  kingdom  on  earth.  And  while  they 
prayed  for  these  things,  we  believe,  with  peculiar  fervor, 
they  did  not  pray  for  them  with  extraordinary  intelligence. 
Of  them,  perhaps  more  emphatically  than  of  most,  it  might 
be  said  that  they  knew  not  what  to  pray  for  as  they  ought. 
They  had  very  indistinct  ideas,  we  believe,  of  the  "power," 
of  its  nature,  and  of  the  effects  it  was  to  produce.  That 
they  had  crude,  and  even  erroneous  ideas  of  the  "  kingdom," 
we  know  ;  for  it  is  recorded  that  on  the  very  day  of  His 
ascension  they  asked  Jesus  the  question,  "Dost  Thou  at  this 
time  restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel } "  '  In  this  brief  ques- 
tion three  gross  misconceptions  are  contained.  It  is  as- 
sumed that  Christ  was  to  reign  personally  on  the  earth,  a 
great  king,  like  David.  The  disciples  had  no  idea  whatever 
of  an  ascension  into  heaven.  Then  the  kingdom  they  expect 
is  merely  a  national  Jewish  one.  "  Dost  Thou,"  they  ask, 
"restore  the   kingdom    to  Israel?"     Finally,   the    kingdom 

'  Acts  L  6. 


542  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

looked  for  by  them  is  political,  not  spiritual :  it  is  not  a  new 
creation,  but  a  kingdom  of  earth  restored  from  a  present 
prostrate  condition  to  former  power  and  splendor. 

The  notions  of  the  eleven  concerning  the  kingdom  con- 
tinued to  be  much  the  same  to  the  day  of  Pentecost  as  they 
had  been  on  the  day  of  the  ascension.  It  is  true  that  Jesus 
had,  in  His  reply  to  their  question,  made  a  statement  which, 
if  rightly  understood,  was  fitted  to  correct  their  miscon- 
ceptions. Formally  a  declinature  to  give  information  on  the 
subject  about  which  the  disciples  were  curious,  that  reply 
afforded  a  sufficiently  clear  and  full  explanation  of  the  real 
state  of  the  case.  When  He  spoke  of  the  power  which  they 
should  receive,  Jesus  not  obscurely  hinted  that  the  work  of 
inaugurating  the  kingdom  was  to  be  done  by  the  apostles  as 
His  commissioners,  not  by  Himself  in  person.  And  the 
same  thing  is  implied  in  the  words,  "  Ye  shall  be  witnesses 
unto  me,"  for  witnesses  would  be  needed  only  for  one  who 
was  himself  unseen.  By  connecting  the  "power"  with  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  Jesus  in  effect  corrected  the 
third  mistake  of  the  eleven  concerning  the  kingdom  — 
the  notion,  viz.,  that  it  was  to  be  of  a  political  nature. 
Power  arising  out  of  a  baptism  of  the  Spirit  is  moral,  not 
political,  in  its  character ;  and  a  kingdom  founded  through 
such  power  is  not  a  kingdom  of  this  world,  but  one  whose 
subjects  and  citizens  consist  of  men  believing  the  truth  :  "of 
the  truth,"  as  Jesus  Himself  put  it  in  speaking  of  His  king- 
dom before  Pilate.  And,  in  the  last  place,  the  words,  "  Wit- 
nesses unto  me,  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judaea,  and  in 
Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,"  were 
certainly  fitted  to  banish  from  the  minds  of  the  eleven  the 
dream  of  a  merely  national  Jewish  kingdom.  If  it  was  but 
the  kingdom  of  Israel  that  was  to  be  restored,  to  what  pur- 
pose bear  witness  to  Jesus  to  the  world's  end  .''  Such  wit- 
ness-bearing speaks  to  a  kingdom  of  a  universal  nature, 
embracing  people  of  every  tongue  and  kindred  under  heaven. 

From  the  reply  of  their  Lord  the  disciples  might  thus 
have  gathered  the  true  idea  of  the  kingdom,  as  one  founded 
on  faith  in  Christ ;  presided  over  by  a  king,  no  longer  pres- 
ent bodily,  but  omnipresent  spiritually  ;  not  limited  to  one 
country,  but  embracing  all  who  were  of  the  truth  in  all  parts 


Waiting.  543 

of  the  world.  This  great  idea,  however,  they  did  not  take 
out  of  the  words  on  which  we  have  been  commenting. 
They  were  to  learn  the  nature  of  the  kingdom,  not  from  the 
teaching  of  Jesus,  but  from  the  events  of  providence.  The 
panorama  of  the  kingdom  of  God  was  to  be  hid  from  their 
eyes  till  the  curtain  was  lifted  in  three  distinct  historical 
movements  —  the  ascension,  the  descent  of  the  Spirit  at  Pen- 
tecost on  the  multitude  who  had  come  to  keep  the  feast,  and 
the  conversion  of  Samaritans  and  the  Gentiles.^  The  first  of 
these  movements  had  already  taken  place  when  the  disciples 
assembled  themselves  together  in  the  upper  room  to  wait  for 
the  promise  of  the  Father.  Jesus  had  ascended,  so  that 
they  now  knew  that  the  seat  of  empire,  the  capital  of  the 
kingdom,  was  to  be  in  heaven,  not  in  Jerusalem.  This 
was  a  valuable  piece  of  knowledge,  but  it  was  not  all  that 
was  needed.  Only  a  small  part  of  the  panorama  was  yet 
visible  to  the  spectators,  and  they  were  still  in  the  dark  as 
to  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  coming  kingdom.  They 
expected  to  see  a  panorama  of  a  new  Palestine,  not  of  a  new 
heaven  and  a  new  earth  wherein  should  dwell  righteous- 
ness ;  and  they  doubtless  continued  to  cherish  this  expecta- 
tion till  the  curtain  was  uplifted,  and  facts  showed  what 
they  had  unwittingly  been  praying  for,  when  they  at  length 
learned  that  the  Hearer  of  prayer  not  only  does  for  His 
people  what  they  ask,  but  far  above  what  they  even  think. 

This  waiting  scene,  looked  at  in  relation  to  the  subsequent 
events  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  not  to  say  the 
whole  history  of  the  Church,  suggests  another  observation. 
We  may  learn  therefrom  what  significance  may  lie  in  things 
apparently  very  insignificant.  We  had  occasion  to  make 
this  remark  in  connection  with  the  first  meeting  of  Jesus 
with  five  of  those  who  afterwards  became  members  of  the 
chosen  band  of  twelve,  and  we  think  it  seasonable  to  repeat 
it  here  now.  To  the  contemporary  Jewish  world  that  meet- 
ing in  the  upper  room,  if  they  knew  of  its  existence,  would 
appear  a  very  contemptible  matter,  yet  it  was  the  only  thing 
of  perennial  interest  in  Judaea  at  the  time.     The  hope  of 

*  Compare  remarks  on  p.  495  on  the  slow-mindedness  of  the  disciples,  preventing 
them  from  understanding  the  words  of  Christ  till  these  were  interpreted  and  illumi- 
nated by  events. 


544  The  Training  of  the  Twelve. 

Israel,  yea,  of  the  world,  lay  in  that  small  congregation. 
For  small  as  it  was,  God  was  with  those  who  formed  it.  In- 
fidels who  believe  not  in  supernatural  influence  smile  at 
such  words ;  but  even  they  must  acknowledge  that  some 
source  of  power  was  centred  in  that  little  community,  for 
they  multiplied  with  a  rapidity  surpassing  that  of  the  Israel- 
ites in  Egypt.  Those  who  reject  divine  influence  impose 
on  themselves  the  burden  of  a  very  laborious  explanation 
of  the  fact.  For  those  who  believe  in  that  influence  it  is 
enough  to  say  the  little  flock  grew  great,  not  by  might,  nor 
by  power  of  this  world,  but  by  God's  Spirit.  It  was  their 
Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  them  the  kingdom. 

And  now,  in  taking  leave  of  those  men  with  whom  we 
have  so  long  held  goodly  fellowship,  it  may  be  well  here  to 
indicate  in  a  sentence,  by  way  of  re'sujue,  the  sum  of  the 
teaching  they  had  received  from  their  Master.  By  such  a 
summary,  indeed,  it  is  impossible  to  convey  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  training  for  their  future  career  which  they  had 
enjoyed,  seeing  that  by  far  the  most  important  part  of  that 
training  consisted  in  the  simple  fact  of  being  for  years  with 
such  an  one  as  Jesus.  Yet  it  may  be  well  to  let  our  readers 
see  at  a  glance  that,  unsystematic  and  occasional  as  was  the 
instruction  communicated  by  Jesus  to  His  disciples,  therein 
differing  utterly  from  the  teaching  given  in  theological 
schools,  yet  in  the  course  of  the  time  during  which  He  and 
they  were  together  lessons  of  priceless  worth  were  given  by 
the  Divine  Master  to  His  pupils  on  not  a  few  subjects  of  car- 
dinal importance.  To  enumerate  the  topics,  as  far  as  possible 
in  the  order  in  which  they  have  been  considered  in  this  work, 
Jesus  gave  His  disciples  lessons  on  the  nature  of  the  divine 
kingdom  ; '  on  prayer  ;^  on  religious  liberty,  or  the  nature  of 
true  holiness  ;^  on  His  own  Person  and  claims  ;+  on  the  doc- 
trine of  the  cross  and  the  import  of  His  death  ;  5  on  humility 
and  kindred  virtues,  or  on  the  right  Christian  temper  required 
of  disciples  both  in  their  private  life  and  in  their  ecclesiasti- 
cal life  ;^  on  the  doctrine  of  self-sacrifice  ;7  on  the  leaven  of 

»  Chaps,  v.,  viii.  ^  Chap.  vi.  3  Chap.  vii. 

*  Chap.  xi.  '  Chaps,  xii.,  xvii.,  xviii.,  xxii.,  and  also  ix. 

6  Chaps,  xiv.,  xv.,  xvii.,  xxi.,  xxix.        '  Chap.  xvi. 


Waiting.  545 

Pharisaism  and  Sadduceeism,  and  the  woe?^  it  was  to  bring 
on  the  Jewish  nation  ; '  on  the  mission  of  the  Comforter,  to 
convince  the  world  and  to  enlighten  themselves/  The  teach- 
ing conveyed,  assuming  that  we  have  even  an  approximately- 
correct  account  of  it  in  the  Gospels,  was  fitted  to  make 
the  disciples  what  they  were  required  to  be  as  the  apostles 
of  a  spiritual  and  universal  religion  :  enlightened  in  mind, 
endowed  with  a  charity  wide  enough  to  embrace  all  mankind, 
having  their  conscience  tremulously  sensitive  to  all  claims  of 
duty,  yet  delivered  from  all  superstitious  scruples,  emanci- 
pated from  the  fetters  of  custom,  tradition,  and  the  com- 
mandments of  men,  and  possessing  tempers  purged  from 
pride,  self-will,  impatience,  angry  passions,  vindictiveness, 
and  implacability.  That  they  were  slow  to  learn,  and  even 
when  their  Master  left  them  were  far  from  perfect,  we  have 
frankly  admitted ;  still  they  were  men  of  such  excellent 
moral  stuff,  that  it  might  be  confidently  anticipated  that 
having  been  so  long  with  Jesus  they  would  prove  themselves 
exceptionally  good  and  noble  men  when  they  came  before 
the  world  as  leaders  in  a  great  movement,  called  to  act  on 
their  own  responsibility.  Not,  certainly,  as  we  believe,  with- 
out the  aid  of  the  promised  power  from  on  high,  not  without 
the  enlightening,  sanctifying  influence  of  the  Paraclete  ;  yet 
even  those  who  have  no  faith  in  supernatural  influence  must 
admit  on  purely  psychological  grounds,  that  men  who  had 
received  such  an  exceptional  training  were  likely  to  acquit 
themselves  wisely,  bravely,  heroically  as  public  characters. 
According  to  the  actual  narrative  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, they  did  so  acquit  themselves.  According  to  a  well- 
known  school  of  critics,  they  acquitted  themselves  very 
poorly  indeed  —  in  a  manner  utterly  unworthy  of  their  great 
Master.  Which  view  is  the  more  credible,  that  of  the 
evangelist  Luke,  or  that  of  Dr.  Baur  .-' 

■  Chaps,  vii.,  x.,  xx.  ^  Chaps,  xxix.,  xxv. 


INDEX. 


Akiba.  Rabbi,  story  of,  82. 

Alcibiades,  character  of,  by  Plato,  371. 

Alford,  on  harmony  of  first  and  second 
evangelists  in  reference  to  instructions 
connected  with  Galilean  mission,  112;  on 
reading  in  John  vi  69,  148  ;  on  Matt, 
xviii.  II,  206;  on  reading  in  Mark  x.  24, 
254  ;  date  of  anointing.  298 ;  on  meaning 
ot  yefofiipov  in  John  xiii.  2,  343. 

Amphictyonic  Council  (modern  Utopian), 
238 ;  a  method  of  exhibiting  unity  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  460. 

Andrew,  first  meeting  with  Jesus,  i  ;  call 
to  apostolate,  1 1  ;  applied  to  by  Greek 
strangers,  319;  inquires  concerning  the 
end  of  the  world,  332. 

Anointing  in  Bethany,  297 ;  emblem  of 
Christ's  love,  299-307. 

Antony,  St.,  story  of  his  conversion,  257. 

Apologies,  Christ's,  for  loving  sinners,  26  ; 
three  distinguished,  26 ;  contain  germ  of 
universalism,  28. 

Apostles  (see  The  Twelve),  all  the  apostles 
good  7t'i/>iesses,  39;  pillar  apostles,  39; 
apostolic  estimate  of  the  parables,  46 ; 
salting  of,  201  ;  instructed  with  regard  to 
church  discipline,  207  ;  salting  process  at 
length  effectual,  222  ;  parable  of  extra 
service  spoken  to,  260 ;  position  of,  in 
Christian  church,  265 ;  in  heaven,  267 ; 
Christ's  dying  charge  to,  410;  compared 
to  branches  of  a  vine,  410;  apostolic 
tribulations,  423 ;  apostolic  illumination, 
437 ;  Epopts  in  divine  kingdom,  439 ; 
their  commission,  535  ;  power  from  on 
high,  what,  536. 

Aristotle,  quoted,  25,  305. 

Arnold,  Matthew,  on  "  moral  therapeutics," 

50 
Athanasius,  Life  of  Antony  hy,  quoted,  257  ; 

design  of  incarnation,  395. 
Augustine,  on  Jewish  mode  of  keeping  the 

Sabbath,  90 ;  on  sense  of  eating  Christ's 

flesh,  142  ;  on  way,  truth,  and  life,  395  ; 

on  incarnation,  396. 

Balaam,  example  of  a  two-minded  man, 

371- 
Barnabas.    See  Paul. 


Baur,  on  the  mission  of  the  seventy,  32, 
104  ;  Matthew's  Gospel  the  oldest  and 
most  historical,  166;  opinion  regarding 
Book  of  Revelation,  242 ;  doubts  authen- 
ticity of  Matt.  XX  28,  293 ;  importance 
of  the  belief  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus, 
497;  psychologically  inexplicable,  497; 
opinion  of  the  apostles  contrasted  with 
Luke's,  545. 

Baxter,  Richard,  on  fixed  forms  of  prayer, 
58;  opinion  of  Sir  Matthew  Hale,  232; 
salvability  of  heathen,  397;  on  uses  of 
doubt,  510. 

Bethsaida  Julias,  distinct  from  native  town 
of  Peter  and  Andrew,  121 ;  scene  of  miracle 
of  feeding,  121. 

Bethsaida,  native  town  of  Peter  and  An- 
drew, 12. 

Bingham,  Origines  Ecclcsiasticce  referred  to 
in  connection  with  celebration  of  the  first 
day  of  week,  "  the  Lord's  day,"  as  a  day 
of  rest  and  worship,  97  ;  on  ancient  church 
discipline,  214. 

Buddhism,  a  universal  religion,  28 ;  its 
doctrine  of  Nirvana,  268. 

Banyan,  John,  an  effective  "apostle,"  38; 
his  concern  in  gaol  for  wife  and  child,  270  ; 
worth  of  his  Pilgrim^ s  Progress^  418. 

Buttmann,  on  the  use  of  the  aorist,  451. 

Bushnell,  forgiving  a  giving  for,  362. 

Buxtorf,  on  Jewish  fasts,  72;  on  rabbinical 
observance  of  ceremonial  washings,  82 ; 
their  notions,  of  Sabbath-breaking,  90 ; 
Sabbath-day  journey,  92. 

C^SAREA  Philippi,  the  scene  of  Peter's 
confession,  163 ;  the  situation  described, 
163. 

Calvin,  difference  between  eating  and  be- 
lieving, 143  ;  on  knowledge  of  Christ  as 
necessary  to  salvation,  397  ;  Bible  a  pair 
of  spectacles,  398. 

Capernaum,  centre  of  Christ's  operations 
and  His  home,  12;  Matthew,  a  tax- 
gatherer  in,  20;  sermon  in  synagogue  of, 
135;  Christ's  residence  there  known  to 
the  fourth  evangelist,  136. 

Carlyle,  on  Robespierre,  371. 

Church,  first  mentioned  at  Csesarea  Philippi, 


548 


Index. 


169;  church  discipline,  207;  charity,  the 
basis  of,  209 ;  hotel  theory  of  church- 
fellowship,  210;  discipline  of  ancient 
church,  214;  club  theory  of  church-fellow- 
ship, 215,  239;  visible  church  disappoint- 
ing, 267 ;  early  church  feeling  in  regard 
to  martyrs,  277. 

Circumcision,  ignored  in  Christ's  teaching, 
44. 

Clement  of  Alexandria,  Quis  dives  salvetur 
referred  to,  262. 

Cleopas  and  companion,  story  of  their  meet- 
ing with  risen  Saviour,  498 ;  "  Did  not 
our  heart  burn  ?  "  504. 

Colani,  on  original  form  of  eschatological 
discourse,  338  ;  on  Christ's  prophecies  of 
his  death  and  resurrection,  495. 

Comforter,  mission  of,  380,  385,  432. 

Counsels  of  perfection,  theory  of,  stated  and 
criticised,  255-262. 

Covenant,  new,  spoken  of  by  Jesus  at  in- 
stitution of  the  Supper,  360;  its  essential 
characteristics,  360. 

Crisis,  final.     See  Galilean  crisis. 

Cross,  first  lesson  on,  173-184;  second  les- 
son on,  291-296;  third  lesson  on,  297- 
316  ;  fourtir  lesson  on,  356-367  ;  summary 
of  doctrine,  367. 

Cyprian,  on  the  promise  to  two  or  three 
united  in  prayer,  215  ;  on  counsels  of  per- 
fection, 256  ;  letter  of  confessors  to,  278 ; 
"  many  mansions,"  384. 

Daub,  view  of  Judas,  376. 

Death  of  Christ  (see  Cross),  Jesus  spoke  of, 
at  first  in  mystic  language,  173;  plainly 
first  at  Cssarea  Philippi,  173  ;  announce- 
ment analysed,  175;  second  announce- 
ment, 199;  third  announcement,  281; 
fourth  announcement,  297 ;  increase  and 
power  by  death,  322. 

Demosthenes,  anecdote  of,  330. 

Disciples,  faith  of  first  five,  sudden  and 
mature  at  once,  8 ;  four  called  to  be 
fishers  of  men,  11;  import  of  call,  12; 
their  devotion  to  Tesus  and  the  kingdom, 
16;  discipleship  nomadic,  iS  ;  some  had 
double  names,  20 ;  disciples  of  John  and 
Jesus  differed  in  regard  to  fasting,  71  ; 
report  opinions  of  people  concerning  their 
Master,  165  ;  perplexity  of,  in  regard  to 
doctrine  of  the  cross,  different  from  ours, 
183  ;  cross-bearing  the  law  of  discipleship, 
182;  dispute  who  should  be  greatest,  199; 
discipline  of  temper  and  will,  200 ;  taught 
doctrine  of  self-sacrifice,  250  ;  forbid  little 
children,  262  ;  anotlier  quarrel,  289  ;  Jesus 
repeats  the  Capernaum  lesson,  290  ;  second 
lesson  on  doctrine  of  cross,  291-296  ;  third 
lesson,  297-316;  inquiry  concerning  the 
end  of  the  world,  332 ;  receive  another 
lesson  in  humility  on  eve  of  passion,  341  ; 
disputes  between,  probable  occasion  of 
feet-washing,  343 ;  fourth  lesson  on  doc- 
trine of  cross,  357;  addressed  by  Jesus 
dying  as  children,  378 ;  three  words  of 
comfort  to  them  as  such,  380 ;  ask  chil- 


dren's questions,  389;  Christ's  adieu  to 
tliem,  405  ;  sorrow  at  thought  of  Christ's 
departure,  429  ;  now  we  believe,  444,  445  ; 
Christ's  prayer  for,  449 ;  elected  and 
prayed  for,  for  the  world's  good,  455  ;  for- 
sook their  Master  at  the  final  crisis,  464, 
causes  of  their  weakness,  46S ;  sifted  as 
wheat,  471  ;  incredulous  regarding  resur- 
rection of  Jesus,  489;  apologetic  use  of 
their  incredulity,  492;  could  not  have 
stolen  Christ's  dead  body,  494 ;  their 
mental  character,  495  ;  their  eyes  opened 
as  to  death  and  resurrection  of  their 
Master,  497 ;  illumination  of  disciples 
different  from  that  of  apostles,  504  ;  seven, 
go  a-fishing,  515  :  motive,  515  ;  difference 
between,  and  apostles,  521  ;  wait  for 
power  from  on  high,  533  ;  Christ  leaves 
tjiem,  534;  the  power,  what,  536;  wait- 
ing, 538;  false  ideas,  541 ;  enlightened  by 
events,  c;43 ;   summary  of  their  training, 

544- 

Discourse  against  Pharisaism,  327. 

Discourse,  farewell,  37S;  divided  into  two 
parts,  379;  views  of  Mr.  Sanday  on, 
criticised  {see  Sanday) ;  analysis  of,  463. 

Discourse,  on  the  last  things,  333. 

Ebrard,  on   date  pf  Sermon   on    Mount, 

32- 

Edwards,  Jonathan,  on  revivals,  106,  1095 
on  abortive  religious  experiences,  416. 

Election,  doctrine  of,  a  view  of,  28S  ;  result 
of  election  abused,  429  ;  election  a  method 
of  blessing  the  many  through  the  few, 
45.2,  454- 

Euripides,  on  the  risks  of  a  prophet,  184  ;  on 
the  unhappy  lot  of  sons  of  the  gods,  28S ; 
unexpected  issues  in  human  affairs,  4S8 ; 
his  choruses  sung  by  Athenian  captives  in 
Sicily,  491. 

Ewald,  identifies  Nathanael  and  Bartholo- 
mew, 6  ;  distinguishes  Matthew  from  Levi, 
20;  distinguishes  Lebba-us  and  Judas,  34. 

Exorcist,  interdicted,  230;  illustration  of 
sermon  on  humility,  230  :  charity  of  Christ 
towards,  235  ;  reflections  suggested  by  his 
case,  236. 

Farrar,  Dr.,  on   fish   with   stater   in  its 

mouth,  223. 
Fasting,  not  practised  by  disciples  of  Jesus, 

71  ;    practised   by   John's   disciples    and 

Pharisees,    71  ,   Christ's   defence   of    His 

disciples  conduct,  73 ;  the  correct  text  in 

Mark  ix.  29,,  198. 
Feet-washing,   representative    character   of 

tlie  act,  342  ;  explanation  of,  350. 
Field.  Dr.,  of  Norwich,  on  rendermg  of  John 

xii.  21,  p.  318. 
Forerunner,  idea  of,  in  John's  Gospel  and 

in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  384. 
Fuller,  Andrew,  on   waste   of   economy  in 

redemption,  306. 
Fuller,  Thomas,  on  pride  as  the  enemy  of 

moderation  in  religion,  233. 


Index. 


549 


Galilean  crisis,  120,  307;  Keim  on,  120; 
resemblance  to  final  crisis,  120,  134;  dif- 
ference of,  from  final  crisis,  472  Vide 
Mission. 

Gentiles,  time  of,  import  of  the  expression, 
336. 

Gillespie,  Aaron's  Rod  Blossoming,  208 

Greeks,  seeking  Jesus,  317. 

Hale,  Sir  Matthew,  anecdote  concerning, 
232  ;  Baxter's  opinion  of,  232. 

Hofmann,  on  Matt  xx  28,  294  ;  on  meaning 
of  ye.vou.ivov  in  John  xiii.  2,  343  ;  on  ^ap- 
TupeiTt  in  John  xv.  27,  427. 

Holy  Spirit,  doctrine  of  same  in  fourth  Gos- 
pel as  in  Paul's  Epistles,  386 

Humiliation  of  Christ,  Cunningham 
Lectures,  sixth  series,  167,  447,  450. 

Iren^us,  on  the  "  many  mansions,"  384. 

James  and  John,  sons  of  thunder,  240;  re- 
flections on  their  conduct  in  Samaria,  243  ; 
rebuked  by  Jesus,  245  ;  ambitious  request, 
281  ;  the  greatest  zealots  and  tlie  most 
ambitious,  282  ;  their  request  character- 
ized, 283 

James,  brother  of  John,  call  to  apostolate, 
II  ;  one  of  the  three  disciples  present  at 
transfiguration,  191  ;  inquiries  concerning 
the  end  of  the  world,  332. 

James  of  Alphseus,  was  he  James  the  Lord's 
brother.?  33 

Jesus,  opinions  about,  among  the  multitude, 
164  ;  import  and  value  of  these,  165  ;  His 
words  to  Peter  at  Csesarea  Philippi,  per- 
verted by  Romanists,  170;  the  humblest 
of  men,  202  ;  worked  miracles  of  humor, 
223  ;  humility  and  charity  displayed  in 
connection  with  temple  tax,  229  ;  love  of, 
for  disciple  John,  24^;  what  He  hated, 
246;  import  of  His  conversation  with 
woman  by  the  well,  247;  feelings  of,  in 
visiting  Persea  at  close  of  His  ministry, 
251  :  delight  in  manifestations  of  spiritual 
susceptibility,  321  ;  modern  critics  on  His 
infirmities  of  temper,  •^28  ;  expected  Chris- 
tianity to  have  a  long  career,  336,  339 : 
gave  prominence  to  Fatherhood  of  God, 
401 :  "  My  Father  greater  than  1,"  408. 

John  the  Apostle,  one  of  the  first  named  in 
John  i.,  2;  call  to  apostolate,  11  ;  a  "pil- 
lar "  apostle,  39 ;  one  of  the  three  present 
at  the  transfiguration,  191  ,  relates  story 
of  exorcist,  230  ;  had  a  part  in  interdict- 
ing, 230 ;  psychological  reflections  on  his 
conduct  and  character,  230,  243  ;  inquiries 
concerning  end  of  the  world,  332  ;  one  of 
the  fishing  expedition,  513  ;  his  lot,  526. 
Sec  Peter  and  John. 

John  the  Baptist,  his  ministry  described,  3  ; 
led  some  of  his  disciples  to  join  Jesus,  4  ; 
opinion  of  Christ  concerning,  73. 

John,  Gospel  of,  equivalent  for  iclea  of  king- 
dom in,  383  ;  doctrine  of  the  Spirit  same 
as  Paul's,  3S6. 


Josephus,  on  destruction  of  Samaritan  tem- 
ple, 245. 

Judas,  the  three-named  disciple,  34;  his 
question  on  the  eve  of  the  passion,  404. 

Judas  Iscariot,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  33; 
Kenan's  opinion,  3^ ;  took  part  in  Galilean 
mission,  108  :  his  false-heartedness  hinted 
at  Galilean  crisis,  149  ;  reflected  on  in  con- 
nection with  the  feet-washing,  354 ;  his 
character,  355;  his  expulsion,  36S  ;  wliy 
chosen,  369;  a  two-minded  man,  371; 
causes  of  his  treachery,  372  ;  probably  ac- 
tuated by  vindictiveness,  373-375  ;  Kenan 
on,  374;  fate,  377. 

Justin  Martyr,  Christ  the  light  of  the  wise 
heathens,  397. 

Keim,  regards  the  number  of  apostles 
(twelve)  as  significant,  32  :  thinks  Christ 
was  deceived  in  the  twelve,  38 ;  Lord's 
prayer  not  meant  to  be  an  Alltagsgebct, 
57;  on  the  Galilean  crisis,  and  John's  ac- 
count of,  120;  on  discourse  on  humility, 
207;  anxiety  of  Jesus  regarding  the  dis- 
ciples, 222  ;  on  Matt.  xx.  28,  293 ;  on  uni- 
versalistic  import  of  Christ's  words  con- 
cerning the  anointing  in  Bethany,  316  ;  on 
Christ's  infirmities  of  temper,  329 ;  on  e.s- 
chatological  discourse,  3''i  ;  reference  to 
Sabbath  in,  a  Judaistic  element,  335; 
tlieory  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  497. 

Kingdom  of  God,  Doctrijie  of.  taught  by 
Jesus,  summarized,  42  ;  work  of  the  king- 
dom described,  47 ;  called  kingdom  of 
hcai'cn  in  Matthew's  gospel,  lo^  ;  great- 
ness in  the  kingdom,  202  ;  eunuchs  for  the 
kmgdom,  253  ;  honors  in  the  kingdom, 
255  ;  idea  of,  in  fourth  Gospel,  and  equiv- 
alent for,  383. 

Lamr  of   God,  occurrence  of   this  title   in 

John  i.  surprising,  9. 
Lee,  Dr    Robert,  on  reform  of  worship  in 

Scottish  Church,  58. 
Lord's  Supper,  relation  to  sermon  on   tlie 

Bread  of  Life,  144  ;  significance  of,  356 
Luke,  Gospel    of,   position    of   Sermon   on 

Mount  in  relation  to  election  of  twelve  in, 

31  ;  Pauline  tendency  of  his  Gospel.  60. 
Luthardt.  on    characteristics   of    Piiilip,   6, 

320;  on  fourth  evangelist's  knowledge  of 

Christ's  stay  in  Capernaum,  136;  on  the 

manifestation  of  Christ  in  John  xiv.  23, 

405  ;  on  John  .xvi  23,  440. 
Luther,  on  the  end  of  the  world,  332  ;  on 

way,  truth,  and  life,  395. 

Magdala,  scene  of  demand  for  a  sign,  155. 

Marlborough,  Duke  of,  avaricious,  373. 

Martensen.  on  election  as  a  method  of  bless- 
ing the  many  through  the  lew,  452 

Mary  of  Bethany,  anoints  Jesus,  297;  a 
model  Christian,  307-314 

Matthew,  Gospel  of,  grouping  of  materi.il 
in,  21  ;  position  of  Sermon  on  Mount  in 
relation  to  election  of  the  twelve  in,  x\. ; 


550 


Index. 


earliest  and  most  historical,  according  to 
Baur,  1 66 
Matthew  the  publican,  19;  his  call,  what  it 
illustrates,  19;  was  he  Levi?  20;  collector 
of  revenue  in  Capernaum,  20  ;  when  called, 
21 ;  knew  Christ  before  call,  22  ;  his  feast, 
its  significance,  24;  gave  rise  to  criticism, 

2  j  ;  significance  of  his  selection  to  be  one 
of  the  twelve,  35  ;  evangelist  Matthew's  re- 
flections on  the  parables  of  Christ,  45  ;  his 
reflections  on  Christ's  works  of  healing, 

49  .  , 

Miracles,  modern  view  of,  50;  manner  m 
which  New  Testament  speaks  of  them, 
50;  miracle  of  feeding,  120,  410;  second 
feeding  had  a  different  motive,  123  ;  scene 
of,  155  ;  did  Christ  work  miracles  of 
humor?  223 

Mission.  Galilean,  99;  nature  of  the  work, 
101  ;  character  of  the  workers,  102  ;  results 
unsatisfactory,  104,  conf  122;  reflections 
of  Jesus,  105  ;  wise  and  prudent  ones  ob- 
ject, 105  ;  Jonathan  Edwards  on  such 
movements,  106,  109;  instructions  con- 
nected with,  109;  were  they  all  spoken 
then?  109. 

Mission  of  seventy,  regarded  as  unhistorical 
by  Baur  and  the  Tiibingen  school  of  critics, 
32,  104;  admonition  to  seventy,  107. 

Nathanael,  first  meeting  with  Jesus,  i ; 

character  of,  6  ;  was  he  one  of  the  twelve  ? 

6 :  one  of   the  fishing  expedition  at    the 

close,  515 
Neander,   on   Christ's    prophecies    of    His 

resurrection,  494. 
Niebuhr.  on  the  jealousy  of  old  men  toward 

the  rising  generation,  76. 

Olshausen,  on  John  xvi.  5,  6,  431. 

Parables  of  the  kingdom  (group  of  eight), 
44 ;  parables  on  perseverance  in  prayer 
{Friend  at  Midnight,  Unjust  Judge), 
60  :  parables  of  Ne-w  Wine  in  Old  Bottles, 
and  Nerv  Patch  on  Old  Garment,  75  ;  of 
Good  Shepherd,  206  ;  of  Unmerciful  Ser- 
vant. 217-221;  of  Extra  Service,  260; 
parables  relating  to  work  and  wages 
(Talents,  Pounds.  Laborers  in  Viiieyard), 
272  :  parables  of  The  Two  Sons,  The  Vitie- 
dressers,  and  The  Rejected  Stone,  326 ; 
parables  of  watching  {Absent  Goodman, 
Wise  and  Foolish  Virgins),  338  ;  appen- 
dix to  the  parable  of  The  Absent  Good- 
man, 339 :  parabolic  sayings  in  farewell 
discourse,  442 

Paul  preached  a  universal  gospel.  28  ;  acted 
with  Barnabas  on  principle  of  fleeing  from 
one  city  to  another,  117. 

Paulinus  of  Tyre,  on  rewards  of  the  perse- 
cuted. 269. 

Perjea,  scene  of  John  the  Baptist's  ministry, 

3  :  visited  by  Jesus  towards  close  of  His 
ministry,  250;  reflection  on  visit  in  fourth 
Gospel,  251  ;  discourse  on  self-sacrifice 
there  uttered,  252. 


Peter  and  John,  interlocutors  in  discourse 
on  humility,  230  ;  associated  at  final  crisis, 
48a;  great  friends,  4S1  ;  conduct  and 
character  compared,  483-485 ;  what 
growth  in  grace  implied  for  either,  4S6 ; 
their  lots  compared,  526. 

Peter,  Simon,  why  called  Peter,  5 ;  call  to 
apostolate,  1 1  ;  spiritual  state  of,  when 
called,  14;  married,  17;  the  first  in  all 
the  apostolic  lists,  34;  a  "pillar"  apostle, 
39;  walking  on  the  water,  134;  reply  to 
Christ's  question  ''Will  ye  go  away?" 
14S  ;  his  great  confession,  163 ;  his  great 
confession  at  Caesarea  Philippi,  166;  its 
import,  167;  praised  by  Jesus,  j68; 
spokesman  for  twelve  a  second  time  at 
Cajsarea  Philippi,  178;  one  of  the  three 
disciples  present  at  transfiguration,  191  ; 
"  How  oft  must  1  forgive?  "  216;  reply  to 
collectors  of  temple  tax,  225  ;  sent  to  fish 
for  money  to  pay  tax,  227  ;  "  We  have 
forsaken  all,"  262 ;  inquires  concerning 
the  end  of  the  world,  332  ;  refuses  to  have 
his  feet  washed,  344  ;  significance  of  re- 
fusal, 347  ;  Peter  the  apostle  understood 
it,  348 ;  his  question  on  eve  of  the  pas- 
sion, 389 ;  his  fall  predicted,  390 ;  two 
swords,  466  ;  cowardice  at  Antioch  as  an 
apostle,  470;  sifted  as  wheat,  471;  his 
denial,  474  ;  Peter  compared  with  Judas, 
475;  the  final  fishing  expedition,  515; 
"  Lovest  thou  me?"  518;  Christ's  inter- 
view not  a  restoration  scene,  519;  signs 
of  approaching  spiritual  maturity,  523 ; 
"Follow  me,"  524;  what  of  this  man? 
525  ;  the  aptstle  warns  against  busybody- 
ism,  a  sin  of  the  disciple,  527 ;  defects, 
529  ;  his  part  in  the  waiting  scene,  539. 
See  Peter  and  John. 

Pfleiderer,  on  historical  importance  of  the 
demand  for  a  sign  in  Matt.  xv.  i,  157  ;  on 
the  pre-intimations  of  resurrection  by 
Jesus,  177  ;  on  eternal  life  as  a  motive  to 
heroic  virtue,  1S9;  Christ's  doctrine  of  the 
kingdom,  265. 

Pharisees,  character  of,  5,  26;  their  right- 
eousness characterized,  43 :  pharisaic 
prayer,  52 ;  pharisaic  attitude  towards 
Christ,  76;  find  fault  in  reference  to 
neglect  of  washing.  79  :  Christ's  defence, 
83;  find  fault  also  in  reference  to  Sabbath, 
88 ;  mode  of  keeping  Sabbath,  92 ;  idea 
of  Sabbath, 92;  the  "wise  and  prudent" 
ones,  106;  disciples  could  not  join  them, 
150;  leaven  of.  155;  sign-seekers,  155; 
character  of,  drawn  by  Jesus  in  anti- 
pharisaic  discourse,  329 ;  also  in  farewell 
discourse,  426.  cf  42S. 

Philip,  first  meeting  with  Jesus,  1  ;  character 
of,  5  ;  his  question  at  miracle  of  feeding, 
126  ;  applied  to  by  Greek  strangers,  319; 
his  question  on  eve  of  the  passion,  398. 

Plato,  on  the  suffering  of  the  righteous, 
183  .  on  the  danger  of  calling  evil  good 
and  good  evil,  315;  on  the  character  of 
Alcibiades,  371  ;  on  the  life  hereafter, 
383  ;  Epopts,  what,  439. 


Index. 


551 


Prayer,  a  frequent  subject  of  instruction  in 
Christ's  teaching,  52;  lesson  recorded  in 
Luke  xi.,  53;  when  given,  53;  the  Lord's 
Prayer  analyzed,  55  ;  a  prayer /rci  tem- 
pore^ 57;  use  of  liturgical  forms,  57; 
perseverance  in  prayer,  two  parables  on, 
58;  power  of  concert  in,  214;  power  in 
prayer  a  feature  of  spiritual  maturity, 
440  ;  Christ's  intercessory  prayer  for  the 
eleven,  449  ;  analysis  of,  463  ;  prayer  for 
Peter,  475. 

Religion,  Christian,  characteristics  of,  13  ; 
universality  and  spirituality  admitted  to 
be  characteristics  by  the  Tiibingen  school, 
13  ;  illustrated  by  Mary  of  Bethany,  307  ; 
Christianity  not  utilitarian,  313  ;  meant 
for  "the  whole  world,"  316;  "times  of 
the  Gentiles,"  universalistic  import  of  the 
expression,  336. 

Renan,  on  the  tribal  relation  of  Judas  Isca- 
riot,  33;  claims  to  be  a  Christian,  152; 
the  monk  the  true  Christian,  260  ;  charges 
Jesus  with  bad  temper,  329 ;  on  the 
treachery  of  Judas,  373-375  ;  view  of  the 
disciples  in  reference  to  the  resurrection, 

495- 

Resurrection  of  Christ,  doubted  by  all  dis- 
ciples, 488;  theft  theory,  493;  Strauss's 
theory  of,  493;  theft  theory  absurd,  493  ; 
Colani  on  the  prophecies  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, 495  ;  importance  of  resurrection  of 
Christ  as  a  fact,  496  ;  Baur  on  importance 
of  belief  in,  497 ;  various  naturalistic 
hypotheses  explaining  the  "  resurrec- 
tion "  so  called,  497 ;  appearances  of 
Jesus  after,  497. 

Reuss,  opinion  of,  on  the  Book  of  Revela- 
tion, 242 ;  on  the  relation  of  fourth  Gos- 
pel to  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  humiliation, 
450. 

Revival  in  Galilee,  104 ;  Jonathan  Edwards 
on  Revivals,  106,  109. 

Richter,  J.  P.,  cure  for  atheism,  151  ;  Fle- 
geljahre  referred  to,  248  ;  on  immortality, 
401. 

Ritschl,  on  Matthew  xx.  28,  294,  295. 

Robertson  (Frederick,  of  Brighton),  on 
advantages  of  celibacy  at  certain  crises, 
259;  on  illusiveness  of  life,  265. 

Robespierre,  character  of,  by  Carlyle,  371. 

Robinson,  on  apples  of  Sodom,  419. 

Rutherford,  Samuel,  why  sanctification 
gradual,  64. 

Sabbath,  observance  of,  by  disciples 
blamed  repeatedly,  88 ;  instances,  88 ; 
principle  of  Christ's  defence,  91  ;  Sab- 
bath-day's journey,  91 ;  sources  of 
Christ's  arguments,  93 ;  Christ's  lord- 
ship, what  implied  in,  96;  position  of 
Sabbath  in  decalogue,  what  implied  in, 
96 ;  how  change  from  seventh  to  first  day 
of  week  brought  about,  97  ;  ecclesiastical 
name  for,  97. 

Sacraments,  power  of,  as  symbols,  over  the 
imagination,  a  source  of  superstition,  365. 


Sadducees,  affinity  with  Pharisees,  158. 

Sanctification,  Pauline  doctrine  of,  60,  note  ; 
gradual,  62. 

Sanday,  his  views  on  farewell  discourse  of 
our  Lord  criticised,  378,  380,  3S8,  412. 

Sartorius,  on  loose  views  of  sin,  and  un- 
belief in  Satanic  influence,  47. 

Self-sacrifice,  doctrine  of,  250 ;  degeneracy 
of  motive  to,  causes  ot,  276. 

Sermon  in  Capernaum  synagogue,  135 ; 
Jesus'  sermon  in  Capernaum  on  humility, 
199. 

Sermon  on  the  Mount,  relation  of,  to  the 
selection  of  the  twelve,  31  ;  analysis  of, 
42. 

Shedd  on  the  atonement,  and  Anselm's 
theory  of,  302. 

Simon  the  Kananite,  34  ;  significance  of  his 
selection  to  be  one  of  the  twelve,  35. 

Socinian  theory  of  atonement,  362,  447 ; 
view  of  Thomas's  confession,  511. 

Socinius,  F.,  view  of  Christ's  death,  359; 
Racovian  Catechism  quoted,  359. 

Socrates,  Alcibiades  on,  371  ;  compared 
with  Christ  in  reference  to  doctrine  of 
future  life,  385. 

Stanley,  on  Nathanael's  question  concern- 
ing Nazareth,  7  ;  on  scene  of  miracle  of 
feeding,  121  ;  on  sea  of  Galilee  and  its 
storms,  129. 

Stier,  time  of  anointing,  298  ;  harmonizes 
evangelists  in  reference  to  announcement 
of  traitor  by  supposing  two  announce- 
ments, 368  ;  on  denial  of  Peter.  390. 

Storm  on  the  lake,  128  ;  two  storms  spoken 
of,  129;  symbolism  of  the  storm,  131. 

Strauss,  confesses  himself  in  Old  and 
New  Faith  no  longer  a  Christian,  151; 
theory  of  Christ's  resurrection,  493,  497. 

Supernatural  Religion,  author  of,  on  the 
men  of  compromise,  152. 

Tacitus,  on  death  of  Germanicus,  387  ;  on 
hostile  odium  of  the  Jews,  428. 

Taylor,  Isaac,  on  sober  style  of  speaking 
concerning  miracles  in  New  Testament, 
50;  Logic  in  Theology  referred  to,  258; 
Ancient  Christianity  (on  corruption  of 
monastics),  referred  to,  259. 

Taylor,  Jeremy,  his  Apology  for  Authorized 
and  Set  Forms  of  Liturgy  referred  to, 

Temple  tax,  an  illustration  of  sermon  on 
humility,  223  ;  import  of  Christ's  words 
concerning,  226. 

Tennyson,  In  Memoriam  quoted,  478. 

Tertullian,  on  observance  of  the  Lord's  day, 
97  ;  on  eternal  life  as  a  motive  to  virtue, 
188. 

Thomas,  the  twin,  33;  his  question  on  the 
eve  of  the  Passion,  391  ;  his  character, 
392 ;  his  doubt,  506 ;  connection  of  with 
temperament,  507;  not  rationalistic,  507; 
his  doubt  honest,  508  ;  his  faith  decided, 
509;  his  confession,  510;  one  of  the  final 
fishing  expedition,  515. 

Transfiguration,  190;  to  be  viewed  in  con- 


552 


Index. 


nection  with  discourse  on  the  cross,  190; 
meaning  of,  for  Jesus,  192;  for  disciples, 
196;  voices  from  heaven,  194. 

Tiibingen  school  of  criticism,  views  as  to 
the  spiritual  characteristics  of  the  religion 
of  Jesus,  13  ;  regard  the  original  apostles 
as  opposed  to  Pauline  universalism,  28  ; 
think  the  mission  of  the  seventy  unhis- 
torical,  32,  104,  240;  "pillar'"  apostles, 
what,  39;  theory  as  to  Acts  of  Apostles, 
171  ;  view  of  John's  character,  230;  view 
of  Book  of  Revelation,  242  ;  grounds  of 
their  conflict-hypotliesis,  242  ;  refuted  by 
story  of  anointing,  316. 

Twelve,  the,  intimate  relations  with  Jesus 
formed  gradually,  11;  purpose  of  their 
being  called,  13;  spiritual  state  of,  when 
called,  14;  capabilities  of  growth,  14; 
constitution  of  a  landmark  in  gospel  his- 
tory, 29;  necessitated  by  expansion  of 
Christ's  own  ministry,  29;  functions  of 
the  twelve,  30  ;  relation  of  the  selection 
to  other  events,  30 ;  number  twelve  sig- 
nificant, 32  ;  Keim's  opinion,  32  ;  names 
of,  33 ;  divided  into  three  groups,  36 ; 
epithets  of  the  individuals  constituting 
the  band,  36 ;  worth  of  the  men  chosen, 
37  ;  obscure  but  not  useless,  39  ;  hearing 
and  seeing  a  great  part  of  their  training, 
41;  lessons  on  prayer,  52;  lessons  in 
religious  liberty,  69;  first  attempt  at 
evangelism,  99  ;  restricted  to  Israel,  why, 
100,  loi  ;  the  training  of,  an  important 
part  of  Christ's  work,  13,  106;  heroism  of, 


119;  trial  of  their  faith  in  Galilean  crisis, 
146;  the  causes  of  their  steadfastness, 
148  ;  warned  against  the  leaven  of  Phari- 
sees and  Sadducees,  158;  misunderstood 
the  warning,  160;  the  fact  significant, 
161  ;  mood  of,  in  later  period,  different 
from  Christ's,  199;  dispute  about  places 
of  distinction,  199  ;  training  of,  in  temper, 
199;  thrones  promised  to,  264;  meaning 
of  promise,  263  ;  Book  of  Revelation  on, 
267.     See  Apostles. 

Version,    Revised,    on    tenses,   42,   451  ; 

omission  of  the  word  charity  in,  310;  on 

Heb.  vi.  20;  2  Cor.  iii.  17,  18. 
Vicarious  merit,  principle  of,  rational,  363. 

Waiting  on  God,  an  experience  known  to 
such  as  make  high  attainments,  54;  H. 
W.  Beecher  on,  63  ;  philosophy  of  wait- 
ing, 64. 

Washings,  ceremonial,  79 ;  neglected  by 
the  disciples  of  Jesus,  79;  pharisaic 
practice  of,  79;  rabbinical  traditions,  81  ; 
Buxtorf  on,  82. 

Weizacker,  on  incidents  of  temple  tax,  224. 

Westminster  Confession,  on  salvability  of 
heathen,  30'^ :  unnecessarily  long,  522. 

Winer,  on  particle /arj,  146  ;  on  kv  touto),  445. 

ZEBF.nEE,  sons  of,  281. 

Zwingle,  his  view  of  Lord's  Supper  con- 
troverted by  Calvin,  143 ;  taught  salva- 
bility of  heathen,  396. 


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